Pope Francis appoints Anthony Muheria as Nyeri archbishop

Pope Francis has picked Bishop Anthony Muheria to head the Nyeri Archdiocese following the retirement of Peter Kairo.

Bishop Muheria was in charge of the Kitui Catholic Diocese.

The announcement was made by the Apostolic Nuncio, which is tasked with vetting of candidates for various posts in the Church.

ENGINEER

After attaining the retirement age of 75 years in September last year, Archbishop Kairo wrote to the Vatican seeking to leave office.

As per church procedure, successors and appointees are kept a secret and are picked by the Pope himself.

In Kitui, Right Reverend Muheri served as the apostolic administrator of Machakos Diocese.

He was born on May 27, 1963 in Murang’a County and joined the clergy on June 1995 as a priest.

In 2003, he was ordained as Bishop of Embu where he served for five years before his posting in Kitui in 2008.

Reverend Muheri graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1984 from the University of Nairobi.

MUHERIA WELCOMED

He will officially take charge after he receives the pallium, which according to United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "is a sign of office in the Latin Church worn by the pope and by metropolitan archbishops.

"It is a white woolen band formed into a circle, which lies over the shoulders, with bands extending down the front and the back."

He will receive it at the Vatican on June 29.

Father Charles Kinyua welcomed the new archbishop, promising cooperation.

"I wish to congratulate him and welcome him to Nyeri. Also, I wish a joyful retirement for Archbishop Kairo whom we will always look up to for guidance and counsel," Fr Kinyua said.

Archbishop Kairo will move to his new residence in Kamakwa, Nyeri, which was built by the Church.