Pope Francis appoints Paul Njiru as bishop of new Wote Diocese

Pope Francis on Saturday announced the creation of the Catholic Diocese of Wote, carved out from the Diocese of Machakos.

In the news published in  L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of Vatican City, the head of the Catholic Church appointed Rev Paul Kariuki Njiru, who is the Bishop of the Embu Diocese, as bishop of the newly erected diocese.

Rev Njiru has 14 years of experience as a bishop and 30 as a priest. He described the appointment as a happy moment for the Catholic church in Wote, the Makueni County headquarters.

“It’s a happy moment for the Wote faithful who have waited several years for this moment since the days of late Bishop Kioko. They have matured in their faith,” Njiru told Citizen Digital.

The new Wote Bishop vowed to serve the community with humility, saying, “I will serve with humility and love and I am hopeful that together with the Wote Diocese members we will do great things.”

During Archbishop Bert van Megen’s visit to Kenya last month, Bishop Norman King’oo Wambua of Machakos called for the establishment of a new diocese in Wote on behalf of Makueni Catholics.

And in response, Archbishop Megen assured Makueni residents that the Pope was aware of the situation in Wote and would make a decision soon.

Makueni was hitherto the only of the three Ukambani region counties with no Catholic diocese.

The Kitui Diocese was erected in February 1956 while the Machakos Diocese was erected in May 1969.