Rev. Fr. John A. Kaiser

20th Anniversary Celebration of Rev. Fr. John A. Kaiser

Rev. Fr. John A. Kaiser was born in Perham, Minnesota in the United States of America on November 23, 1932. Fr. Kaiser was ordained in St. Louis for the Mill Hill Fathers in 1964, and was sent to their mission in Kenya the same year.

He ministered in Kisii Diocese for twenty (20) years; and later in Nakuru and Ngong Dioceses. As a missionary, he served the poor, advocated for justice for the oppressed and respect for human rights. In 1993, at the height of ethnic violence and land clashes in Kenya, Fr. Kaiser while in Nakuru worked among displaced persons in Maela Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp,These people were displaced from Enoosupukia in Ngong Diocese. Later in his missionary work. Fr. Kaiser transferred to Lolgorian Parish – Ngong Diocese in Maasai Land.

On 24th August 2000. Fr Kaiser’s body was found at Morendat Naivasha, along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway. The cause of his death could not be ascertained Immediately but later it became clear that he was murdered by unknown assailants. The Kenya Government opened an Inquest into Fr Kaiser’s death at the request of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).The inquest ended on 12th June 2007, after hearing from 111 witnesses. The then presiding Magistrate, ruled on 1st August 2007 that Fr. Kaiser was murdered, and that the ‘suicide theory’ was based on pre-conceived notion. She further stated that she could not, on the basis of evidence tabled before her in the inquest, point out with certainty who the Priest’s killers were.

Twenty (20) years after his death, his relatives, Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, fellow Christians, members of human rights groups, Civil Society and other people of good-will continue to celebrate Fr. Kaiser’s well lived life and remember his tireless efforts in search for justice and peace for the poor. Fr. Kaiser’s memorial anniversary has become not only a commemoration of his death but a day remember the oppressed, the poor, and the injustice that takes place in our society.

Fr. John A. Kaiser (MHM)

It has been Twenty (20) years since you left us under tragic circumstances. It is regrettable that those who took your life away so brutally have still not been brought to Justice. You remain alive in the hearts and minds of your relatives, Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Friends, Civil Society and other people of Kenya whom you served dearly.

This year, The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops will be celebrating his 20th anniversary on 23rd August 2020. All the CatholicArch/dioceses/ parishes in Kenya are to celebrate Holy Mass in his honor on 23rd August, 2020.

May God grant Fr. Kaiser Eternal Rest, Amen