NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 11 – Former Chief Justice David Maraga has described Bishop Phiip Sulumeti as ‘a shepherd who built people, not platforms; institutions, not headlines.’
In his tribute to the prelate who died at the age of 88, Maraga noted that for 36 years the Bishop carried the Catholic Diocese of Kakamega on steady shoulders — nurturing children who returned as teachers, nurses and priests.
Maraga recalled that the late prelate belonged to the first generation of Kenyan church leaders after independence, standing up parishes, schools and health facilities across Western Kenya.
“As pioneer Bishop of Kakamega and earlier in Kisumu, he helped stand up parishes, schools, and health facilities that still serve Western Kenya today. It is no exaggeration that Kakamega boasts many Catholic-sponsored schools because of Bishop Sulumeti, a legacy that includes institutions like Bishop Sulumeti Girls—evidence of a man who turned faith into opportunities for children, especially when that took courage and persistence,” the former CJ recounted.
He also praised Bishop Sulumeti’s national role, noting that as a former president of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), he was a ‘voice of calm authority — when politics ran hot, and public discourse ran low.’
“We mourn Bishop Sulumeti not for the titles he held, but for the texture of his character — a leader who could disagree without raising his voice, who treated education as part of his pastoral mission, and who measured success by the strength of families, classrooms, and communities,” the former CJ said.
Maraga said Bishop Sulumeti’s life was a reminder that true leadership lies in service, not stature, and that institutions must exist to uphold human dignity.
“As a nation navigating a complex moment in our history, we must seek to look to leaders like Bishop Sulumeti for a reminder that institutions exist for one thing only: to uphold the dignity of the person,”
“His life preached what our Constitution has entrenched—that the measure of a society is how faithfully it serves the least among us. That is a sermon Kenya needs every day, and one that we can all draw from Bishop Sulumeti’s life,” said Maraga who is among aspirants in the 2027 Presidential race.
