Bishop of Nyahururu
Joseph Mbatia was born on May 10, 1961, in the village of Itabua, in the Diocese of Embu. He studied philosophy at St. Augustine National Major Seminary in Bungoma and theology at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi. He obtained a diploma in Higher Religious Studies and a Licentiate in Theology from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi. He was ordained a priest on February 18, 1989, and incardinated into the Diocese of Nyeri. He subsequently transferred to the new Diocese of Nyahururu in March 2003, shortly after its establishment (December 2002). Following his ordination, he held the following positions: 1988–1989: Assistant to the Bishop of Nyeri and Parochial Vicar of Njabini; 1989–1990: Chaplain at Consolata Hospital in Nyeri, Vicar of Mathari (Ngandu) parish, and Parish Priest of Kahiraini; 1991–2001: Parish Priest of Mweiga; 2001–2007: Parish Priest of Ndunyu-Njeru and Mutanga parishes, and Diocesan Financial Administrator. Since 2005, he has served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Nyahururu.