Pope Francis has appointed Philip Anyolo the new Kisumu Archbishop to replace Zacchaeus Okoth, who has reached retirement age.
Archbishop Okoth, 76, leaves a legacy that has been praised by many who have cited gains made as a result of his management approach, save for a few dissidents.
The clergyman was ordained priest of Kisumu in 1968 and rose through the ranks to become bishop in February 1978. Okoth was ordained bishop in April of the same year.
Twelve years later, he was appointed archbishop of the greater Kisumu Diocese, a role in which he oversaw Catholic missions in Nyanza province.
His exit is likely to usher in fresh conversation on how the diocese has been run for nearly 30 years he has been at the helm.
Under his influence the Catholic Archdiocese has made great strides in developing education, health, environment, hospitality and religion.
Okoth’s footprints will be felt largely in education, having initiated projects that saw him pioneer dozens of schools – some named after him.
Bishop Okoth Girls Mbaga in Siaya county, Bishop Okoth Ojolla Secondary in Kisumu and Bishop Okoth Miranga in Seme subcounty are just but a few in the long list of schools whose construction he oversaw.
The Catholic Archdiocese is feted for supporting girls education. Some of its schools have a long history of exemplary performance in national exams.
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In Nyanza, the diocese has schools such as St Mary’s Lwak Girls, St Francis Rang’ala Girls, St Oda Aluor Girls, as well as schools for students with special needs.
The one institution on the lips of many worshippers, however, is Uzima University, which was Okoth’s brainchild. During the Archdiocese’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 2015, the cleric urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to help the college get a charter.
A charter for Uzima University College would allow for its expansion in order to attract more medical students. Kisumu, a metropolitan diocese, is one of the largest in the country. Others are Nairobi, Mombasa and Nyeri.
On health, the Catholic Archdiocese is feted for its role in management of HIV-Aids. The church, through its charity arm—the Catholic Medical Mission Board—has linked thousands to HIV treatment.
Okoth has also been an anti-contraceptive crusader, saying children should be brought up in the word of God rather than being taught how to prevent pregnancies.
He once ran into trouble with a number of education players, who accused him of micromanaging Catholic-sponsored schools, but he stood his ground.
The Church maintained that faith-sponsored schools must keep their identity, including having school heads who worship in the sponsor church.
Critics were told that even chairpersons of the board of governors and Parent Teacher Association, as is the case with other faith-based schools, must be catholic.
Four days ago President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the Education ministry to let churches run their schools.
Towards the end of his term, that is May 2015, various parish officials, ordained brothers and priests in the Kisumu Archdiocese accused Okoth of presiding over corruption in the church.
The archbishop called a press conference, where the church defended him against the accusations. Okoth said the report was inaccurate, unreliable, and misleading.
The presser at Ukweli Pastoral Centre in Kisumu town was attended by vicars, priests and members of the congregation of the Catholic Church.
In terms of discipline, Kisumu archdiocese has had no known cases of priests involved in abuses that have rocked the Catholic Church lately.
A number of priests who spoke to the Star in confidence said the archbishop’s counsel has helped them maintain clean records. “He teaches us to focus on serving the people, and not adding to their pain in life,” a priest said.
And because of his wise counsel, Okoth earned a seat at the 14-member Building Bridges task force. He was named alongside Agnes Kavindu, Senator Amos Wako, Florence Omose, Saeed Mwanguni, Adams Oloo, James Matundura and Major John Seii.
Also in the team chaired by Senator Yussuf Haji (Garissa) are Bishop Lawi Imathiu, Maison Leshoomo, Morompi ole Ronkai, Bishop Peter Njenga and Rose Museo.
The Building Bridges to Unity Advisory Task Force is handling the nine-point agenda of the March 9 handshake, which entails ethnic antagonism and competition, lack of national ethos, inclusivity, devolution, safety and security and corruption.
His choice was likely driven by his campaign for peace during Kenya’s most tumultuous moments.
Raila Odinga, in his memoir An Enigma in Kenyan Politics, says Okoth played a big role in helping him escape a government dragnet at the height of the clamour for multiparty democracy.
The Catholic Church took over Raila’s issue, with Okoth plotting how to get Raila out of Nairobi. At that time, the government had panicked over a planned rally at Kamukunji.
The book says Raila, with the help of the US embassy, learned of the arrest plot and was heavily assisted by the church – who dressed him in a robe as Father Augustine. He was driven to Rang’ala where he was hosted briefly before travelling to Uganda through Lake Victoria.
Since then, Raila and Okoth have been consulting each other on a number of issues - some of which have influenced Raila’s decisions on the national discourse.