Father Daniel Kiriti

I was born on 30th Dec.1959 in Eldoret town which is in the north of Rift valley. I am the 5th born in a family of 10, 2 girls and  8 boys. I was born in a village where my Dad was working as a casual labourer. I went to school when I was 10 yrs. I could  not go to school before because of the distance. The school was roughly 16km from the village. My mom used to brew illegal  brew in the village and I started being involved in the business at an early age. During the weekday I used to help mom after  school in the evening. On weekend I used to go with Dad at his work place. His work involved burning charcoal. I learned to  eat from my own hands early enough. After my primary education I passed and I was called to a government school in  Nairobi.

 When I was growing up, my parents were not going to Church. On Sunday as small kids we used to go to any church;  depending on how much gifts we were given. This one day I came across a white man surrounded by a group of Africans  under a tree. He had put on clothes on top of his ordinary clothes. I got stuck and interested in what he was doing. From that day I never missed attending the ceremony under the tree. And that is how I became a Catholic and got my interest of priesthood.

I went to high school in an urban school. The first one year I was lost in the big city. After one year I found myself and that is the time I found a Nun who interested in me being baptised. An Italian sister taught me catechism and I was baptised at the end of my second year in high school. My elder brother Clement RIP paid my school fees for four years. My parents could not afford the fees.

While Form four, my parish priest met me one evening with my girlfriend Scholar, and he made a joke that I could make a very good priest; a thought that took me to the story of the gentleman under a tree. From that day I started pursuing the vocation.

I was ordained a priest in 1988 in Longonot, just near Naivasha, a place we moved to in 1974 when my Dad bought a piece of land. My first appointment was Kabarnet, 210 km away from home. I took my appointment with a lot of energy and I loved my job (I still do). I was a curate for 8 months. I became the parish priest of the same parish. I loved the people and they loved me. I took into youth ministry because I found them life giving and having struggled as a young person, I had a heart for them.

I did so well that I was identified by the diocese to take up the office of the youth in the diocese. I joined the youth office in 1993. I was a chaplain as well as a coordinator of the program. My initial responsibility was to structure the program and lay down policy. There was a lot of travel that I loved. I went to many parishes for seminars and creating awareness for the ministry. The most challenging thing was to keep the young people on the move and interested.

In 1996 I was approached by the bishop and asked if I could go and acquire skills in the youth ministry. The following year I went to California, Santa Clara University, where I did a masters degree in pastoral ministry. I was to proceed and do Youth ministry but that did not happen for I was requested to come back towards the end of 1998 after the Santa Clara program.

I came back home and in 1999 I was asked to take the youth ministry again. Out of obedience I took the job and gave my best. I was in the ministry only for one year.

In the year 2000, I was asked to take up a parish work as in charge. I was appointed to Gilgil parish which is 45 km from Nakuru town. I was in Gilgil for one year after which I went out of the diocese as a missionary with the St. Patrick fathers, a thing I had longed for many years. St. Patrick fathers send me to central Africa – Malawi where I worked for four years. My experience in Malawi was very enriching but very challenging. After two years and half I returned to the diocese and I was appointed to Naivasha parish.

I came to Naivasha in September 2003, where I continue my work as parish pastor
April 2007.