Eldoret Catholic Diocese will soon start constructing an 8-story commercial building in Eldoret town.
The building named St John Amani Centre is estimated to cost Ksh420 million.
Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Eldoret Catholic Diocese recently presided over the groundbreaking for the St Jonh Amani Centre that will be constructed within the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Jesus Christ compound.
Speaking during the event, Bishop Kimengich said they named the commercial building St John so as to preserve the name of the old church which will have to be demolished to pave way for the new structure.
Amani Centre was on the other hand as a result of the need to remind the Catholic faithful in the Diocese of the peace efforts that the late Bishop Cornelius Korir was involved in.
“After consultation with the technical committee, we were told that the old church had to be demolished because the foundation would go deeper to give the 8-story building a required foundation hence this church had to go down. We agreed to demolish it but to ensure the name is not forgotten we agreed to include it in the building,” said Bishop Kimengich.
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“For Amani Centre, we thought it would be good to preserve the memory of the late Bishop Korir who did peace work in the diocese for several decades, and that is how we arrived at the name St John Amani Centre,” he added.
But before the St John building, which is currently being used as a computer college and a bookshop is demolished, Bishop Kimengich said they would plan for a day when the statue and other valuable assets erected on it will be removed.
The Bishop further assured of his commitment to continue championing for peace among communities in the diocese especially the volatile Kerio Valley and the Nandi Kisumu border.
“This building will keep reminding us of the work that the church needs to do to restore peace in Kerio Valley, and advance for unity and cohesion amongst all Kenyans,” said Bishop Kimengich.
Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Wisely Rotich who attended the groundbreaking of the new building said it would help ensure the Catholic Church has sufficient finances to facilitate peace efforts along the Kerio Valley belt.
