Henry Juma Odonya

Henry Juma Odonya is a Kenyan Catholic prelate who has served as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kitale since November 2022. Appointed bishop on 4 November 2022 by Pope Francis, he succeeded Maurice Anthony Crowley.

Background and education

Odonya was born on 10 December 1976 in Nairobi, Kenya. He studied at St. Mary's Major Seminary in Molo for his spiritual year in 1997. He then studied philosophy at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Mabanga from 1998 to 1999 before he transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi, where he studied theology from 2000 to 2004. In 2008 he graduated with a Licentiate in Missiology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy.

While still a seminarian, Odoanya became an associate of the St. Patrick's Missionary Society. He was ordained deacon on 11 June 2005. On 25 February 2006,.he was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eldoret by Bishop Cornelius Korir.
As priest he served as assistant parish priest of St. Patrick's Kapcherop Parish from 2006 to 2007, St. Teresa of Avila Ndalat Parish ; Parish priest of St. Patrick's Kapcherop Parish, St. Zeno Kolongolo Parish, Kitale, Holy Family Parish, Chepchoina and St. Teresa of Avila Ndalat Parish, Eldoret ; parish vicar of Huruma Parish, Eldoret ; formator at St. Patrick's Philosophy House, Durban, South Africa.

On 4 November 2022, Pope Francis appointed Odonya as Bishop of the [Diocese of Kitale. He was consecrated and installed on 21 January 2023 by Archbishop Hubertus van Megen and Co-consecrators: Bishop Maurice Anthony Crowley and Bishop Dominic Kimengich. He succeeded Maurice Anthony Crowley.