Pope Francis has appointed the Very Rev. Fr. Cleophas Oseso Tuka, as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru in Kenya. Bishop-elect Cleophas is an alum of Le Moyne College, graduating with a Masters of Business Administration from the institution in 2008. In his new role, he will lead a diocese with 614,000 Catholic faithful, 53 parishes and 143 priests.
Born in 1967 in Naivasha, Father Cleophas was ordained a priest in June 1995. In addition to his MBA, he holds a doctorate in education from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. He has also held the following offices: parish vicar of Njoro (1995-1996); parish vicar of the Holy Cross parish (1996-1997); diocesan procurator (1998); diocesan bursar (1999-2003); deputy parish priest of Saint Ambrose, Endicott, N.Y. (2004), Holy Family and Saint Margaret, Syracuse, N.Y. (2004-2013) in the Syracuse Diocese; parish priest of the Mary Mother of God parish in Kabarnet, diocese of Nakuru (2013-2018); since 2018, he has served a vicar general of the diocese of Nakuru and parish priest of Saint Augustine in Bahati.
In an interview with AMECEA Online, the Bishop-elect said, “Unlike a new person not familiar with the Diocese, I know where we are currently and the Diocese has been working on a five-year strategic plan which I intend to use as a guide going forward,” adding that the process of developing the strategic plan has been so inclusive and the clerics, religious and the lay faithful have been fully involved.
“The strategic plan also focuses on service, that is, as religious, priests and the lay faithful how to serve those whom we have been called to serve, how to become of service to the diocese and to one another,” he emphasized centralizing the act of service to St. Paul’s message who said, “out of love be of service to one another.”
Rev. Charles Oduke, Ph.D., who serves as Le Moyne vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, first met then-Father Cleophas at the College nearly 18 years ago, and found him to be “a person of prayer who sees beyond power and authority.” The diocese will be the home to the first Jesuit university in Kenya, a fact that Father Oduke says “especially warms his heart.”