John Mbinda C.S.Sp., (born 5 May 1973) is a Kenyan Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar () is a diocese located in the city of Lodwar in the ecclesiastical province of Kisumu in Kenya. History * January 11, 1968: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Lodwar from the Diocese of Eldoret * Jan ...

since 2022. He was appointed bishop on 20 Jul 2022 by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

. He succeeded Bishop Dominic Kimengich, who was appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, Kenya.

Background and education

He was born on 5 May 1973 in Kanzalu Parish, in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos, Kenya. He attended St. Francis Misyani Primary School, graduating in 1988. He transferred to the Pope Paul VI Seminary where he

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

in 1992. He joined the

Congregation of the Holy Spirit The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (officially the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary; ) is a religious congregation for men in the Catholic Church. Members are often known as Holy ...

(C.S.Sp.) in 1993. He studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at Spiritan Missionary Seminary, in Njiro, Archdiocese of Arusha in Tanzania from 1993 until 1996. He graduated from there with a Diploma in Philosophy and Religious Studies along with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Philosophy. He studied at the ''Holy Spirit Novitiate Seminary'' at Magamba,

Lushoto District Lushoto is one of the eleven districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. It is bordered to the northeast by Kenya, to the east by the Muheza District, to the northwest by the Kilimanjaro Region, west by Korogwe District and to the south by the Bumbu ...

in the

Tanga Region Tanga Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipalit ...

of Tanzania for his novitiate year between 1996 and 1997. He then entered Tangaza University College in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya where he studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from 1997 until 2002. He graduated from there with a Diploma in Mission Studies, in Social Communication and in Theology Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Religious Studies. Later, he graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

Development Studies Development studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social science. Development studies is offered as a specialized master's degree in a number of reputed universities around the world. It has grown in popularity as a subject of study since the ...

from

Kimmage Development Studies Centre Kimmage Development Studies Centre (DSC) was a private third-level institution based at Holy Ghost Missionary College, Kimmage Manor, Dublin, Ireland from 1974 to July 2018. It provided courses in Development Studies since 1974, as well as oth ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland, where he studied from 2008 until 2010.

Priest

While still a seminarian, he took his perpetual vows as a member of the

on 12 October 2001. He was ordained a priest of the Holy Spirit Fathers on 18 May 2002. He served in that capacity until 4 April 2022. As a priest, he worked in various roles and different locations including as: * Assistant parish priest responsible for pastoral work in Tangulbei Catholic Mission in Nakuru Catholic Diocese from 2002 until 2004. * Parish priest and administrator at Kositei Catholic Mission in Nakuru Diocese from 2004 until 2008. * Parish priest and administrator at St. Austin's Parish at Msongari in the Archdiocese of Nairobi from 2010 until 2015. * Provincial Superior (elected) of the Province of Kenya and South Sudan from January 2015 until January 2021. * Lecturer (part-time) at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya from 2014 until 2022 * Consultor of the Local Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Nairobi from 2016 until 2022.

As bishop

On 4 April 2022,

appointed him Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, a Suffragan of the Metropolitan Province of Kisumu. He was consecrated and installed at the Ekales Cultural Center, Tobong Lore, in the Diocese of Lodwar on 4 June 2022. The Principal Consecrator was Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, Titular Archbishop of Novaliciana assisted by Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Archbishop of Kisumu and Bishop Dominic Kimengich, Bishop of Eldoret.

References

Succession table

(5 Mar 2011 - 16 Nov 2019)

External links