Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Philip Arnold Subira Anyolo the Archbishop of Kisumu.
He takes over from Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth who tendered in his resignation to Pope Francis when he turned 75 years in 2017. Canon 401 §1 of the Code of Canon Law states that archdiocesan/diocesan bishops (including cardinals) are requested to submit their resignation to the pope on reaching the age of 75 years.
Archbishop Okoth has been at the helm of the Archdiocese of Kisumu for 40 years since 1978, 28 of them as archbishop. He was born July 5, 1942 and ordained priest on November 14, 1968.
Archbishop Okoth was appointed Bishop of Kisumu on Feb 27, 1978 and ordained bishop on April 30, 1978. He was appointed Archbishop of Kisumu on May 21, 1990.
Rt. Rev Philip Anyolo has been the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Homabay since May 2003. He was born May 18, 1956 in Tongaren, Bungoma.
He was ordained priest for the Catholic diocese of Eldoret in October 15, 1983. He was ordained bishop of Kericho on February 3, 1996 and installed bishop of Homabay on May 22, 2003.
He is the current chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) elected for a second term on April 13, 2018.
