The Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church has installed its first woman bishop, Catherine Ngina Musau, at a ceremony attended by thousands of people.

After her May 24 installation, she urged Christians to "build bridges instead of walls, preserve unity amid diversity, serving one another in love," the Lutheran World Federation reported

The growth of KELC, she noted. should not merely be about numerical progress, "but also about spiritual maturity, depth and contribution to transforming society and nurturing future generations."

Bishop Catherine Ngina Musau succeeds Bishop Johnes Meliyio, who led the church from 2020.

The joyful consecration and installation service on Pentecost Sunday at the Jerusalem Cathedral in Nairobi was witnessed by thousands from KELC's congregations across the country.

Also present were representatives of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and its member churches in Africa, Europe and North America, along with members of ecumenical organisations.

"We are delighted to welcome you as a new leader among the LWF member churches," the Lutheran federations general secretary Rev. Anne Burghardt said in a congratulatory letter to Musau.

She extended the Lutheran communion's prayer "for God's abundant grace for your ministry" and protection "so that you may continue to be a blessing for others."

KELC, which grew out of ELCT mission efforts, joined the LWF in 1992 and has approximately 15,000 members.

Rev. Catherine Ngina Musau, a 55-year-old mother of two adult children, was elected on Nov. 28, 2025, at the church's general assembly in Malindi.

She was the first female pastor in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church after her ordination in 2003, in a country renowned for its strong patriarchal church structures.

Musau, who holds a master's degree in Christian-Muslim relations from St. Paul's University in Limuru, and headed the Kilifi Deanery in Kenya for two years.

She entered the priesthood in Machakos County, in eastern Kenya, where she was born in 1971, as the fourth child in a Christian family of 10.