Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend Father Obed Muriungi Karobia as the new Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi.
In a communication on Thursday, March 26, the Vatican confirmed that Karobia, who has been serving as the supreme moderator of the Franciscan Servants of Mary Queen of Love in the Diocese of Ngong, will now take on the expanded pastoral and administrative responsibilities in Nairobi.
The appointment also includes his assignment to the titular see of Timida.
Karobia brings with him years of experience in pastoral ministry, religious formation, and leadership within the Franciscan order.
Born on June 29, 1979, Karobia pursued his philosophical studies at Saint Bonaventure College in Lusaka, Zambia, before earning a bachelor’s degree in theology from Tangaza College in Kenya.
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He later joined the Friars Minor Conventual and was ordained a priest on July 28, 2012.
Following his ordination, Karobia served as a parish vicar from 2012 to 2013 and later as parish priest from 2013 to 2016 at Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Nairobi.
During this period, he gained hands-on experience in pastoral care and community leadership.
At the same time, Karobia took on broader responsibilities within the Franciscan order, serving as head of vocations in the Custody of the Friars Minor Conventual of Kenya from 2012 to 2019.
He also worked as a formator and bursar at the House of Formation in Nairobi between 2016 and 2019, playing a key role in mentoring future clergy.
Karobia's leadership credentials were further strengthened when he was appointed provincial minister of the Kenyan Province of the Friars Minor Conventual from 2019 to 2023.
Between 2020 and 2023, he also served as president of the African Federation of Friars Minor Conventual, overseeing coordination and collaboration across the continent.
Academically, Karobia continues to advance his studies and is currently a PhD candidate in psychology at Daystar University in Nairobi.
In 2024, he was appointed by the Dicastery for Evangelization as supreme moderator of the Franciscan Servants of Mary Queen of Love in the Diocese of Ngong, a role he held until this latest elevation.
This comes days after Pope Leo accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru from his role as the first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wote.
Following this decision, Pope Leo has moved to ensure continuity by appointing the current Auxiliary Bishop of Wote, Rt. Rev. Simon Peter Kamomoe, as Apostolic Administrator.
In this capacity, Bishop Kamomoe will temporarily oversee both the spiritual guidance and administrative responsibilities of the diocese during the transition period.
The development was announced in Rome on Wednesday, March 25 and subsequently communicated to members of the Kenyan episcopate through the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Bert Van Megen.
Bishop Kariuki, who was born on March 11, 1963, in Kathunguri, Embu County, has had a long and steady journey in priestly formation and service.
He undertook his philosophical studies at St. Joseph Seminary in Meru before proceeding to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi for theological training.
Bishop Kariuki was ordained to the priesthood on March 1, 1993.
Prior to his assignment in Wote, he served as the Bishop of Embu from 2009 until 2023, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.
