Rev. Fr. John A. Kaiser (MHM)

25th Anniversary Commemoration

Rev. Fr. John A. Kaiser was born on November 23, 1932, in Perham, Minnesota in the United States of America. He was ordained as a priest for the Mill Hill Missionaries in St. Louis in 1964 and was sent to serve in Kenya the same year. Fr. Kaiser ministered faithfully in the Diocese of Kisii for twenty (20) years, and later in Dioceses of Nakuru and Ngong.As a missionary, he devoted his life to serving the poor, advocating for justice for the oppressed and upholding human rights. At the height of ethnic violence and land clashes in Kenya in 1993, Fr. Kaiser worked tirelessly with internally displaced persons at the Maela Camp within the Diocese of Nakuru.These communities had been displaced from Enoosupukia in the Diocese of Ngong. He was later posted to Lolgorian Parish in the Ngong Diocese, within Maasai Land.

On 24th August 2000, Fr. Kaiser’s body was tragically discovered at Morendat in Naivasha, along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway. While the cause of death was initially unclear, it later emerged that he had been murdered by unknown assailants. At the request of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), the Government of Kenya launched an inquest into his death. The inquiry, which heard from 111 witnesses, concluded on 12th June 2007. On 1st August 2007, the then presiding Magistrate ruled that Fr. Kaiser had been murdered and dismissed the suicide theory’ as a pre-conceived notion. However, the court could not conclusively identify his killers.

Now, twenty-five (25) years later, Fr. Kaiser is fondly remembered by his family, relatives, fellow Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Christians, human rights defenders, civil society and many people of goodwill. He is celebrated for his unwavering stand for justice, the rights of the vulnerable and his call for peaceful coexistence. Fr. Kaiser’s memorial is not just a remembrance of his death but a solemn day to reflect on the plight of the oppressed and marginalised in our society.

Fr. John A. Kaiser (MHM)

24th August 2000 — 24th August 2025

It has been Twenty-five (25) years since you left us under tragic circumstances. You remain ever alive in the hearts of those you loved and served — your family, the Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, friends, Civil Society and the people of Kenya. This year, under the theme The Kenya We Desire’, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Fr Kaiser s death on 22nd August, 2025 at Lolgorian Parish, Catholic Diocese of Ngong.

May God grant Fr. Kaiser Eternal Rest, Amen.