Adapted from a report by Gavin Drake of Anglican Communion News Service
The Rt. Rev. Jackson Ole Sapit, Bishop of Kericho, has been elected the next Archbishop of Kenya.
The 52-year-old bishop was baptized in 1977 and confirmed eight years later. His first church role was as evangelist and community motivator in Narok, which he in 1987 before attending Berea Theological College. He was ordained a deacon in July 1991 and a priest a year later.
He served as vicar of Belgut Parish in the Diocese of Nakuru and then as vicar of Kilgoris Parish and project manager at the Transmara Rural Development Program.
Throughout this time he continued his education, gaining a Bachelor of Divinity from St. Paul’s University in Nairobi and a Certificate in Research and Consultancy at Nairobi’s Daystar University. In 1997 he studied for a master’s degree in Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods at the University of Reading.
He returned to Kenya to take up the role of mission and development coordinator for the Diocese of Nakuru. He then served as suffragan bishop of the Kericho area and became diocesan bishop when the area was carved out of the Diocese of Nakuru.
A profile [PDF] published by the Anglican Church of Kenya said Bishop Sapit “managed to nurture the young Diocese of Kericho” in its spiritual life and in community development.
It describes how the archbishop-elect mobilized local and international resources to transform communities, improve food security, and enable economic empowerment. He has established a number of health clinics in the new diocese and is passionate about sustainable development.
The Most Rev. Eliud Wabukala, Archbishop of Kenya, will retire June 26.
