His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Alfred Kipkoech Rotich as the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kericho.
According to Catholic Media Network, the announcement was made on Saturday, December 14, 2019, in Rome, Italy.
"The letter of his appointment was sent to the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) by the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, His Excellency Archbishop Bert Van Megen,” the report stated.
Rotich takes over from Reverend Emmanuel Okombo who retired after attaining the required age of 75 years.
He had also served as a priest at the Diocese of Nakuru in 1983 and the auxiliary bishop of Nairobi in 1996.
Currently, Bishop Rotich serves as the bishop emeritus of the Military Ordinariate after rising through the military ranks to become captain from 1989 to 1993, a major from 1994 to 1996, and finally a colonel.
He is also a member of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission and the Mainstream Church Leader’s Forum.
In November 2019, Pope Francis also appointed Rt Reverend Dominic Kimengich as the bishop of Eldoret Diocese.
The position fell vacant on October 30, 2017, following the death of Rt. Reverend Cornelius Korir.
Consequently, he appointed the Bishop of Kitale, Rt. Reverend Maurice Crowley as the apostolic administrator of the diocese.
