“Only Charity will Save the World.”St. Luigi Orione

Emblem of the Sons of Divine Providence — Instaurare omnia in Christo Don Orione Kenya Delegation “Our Lady of the Rosary” – Kenya
The gate and the stone church of St. Luigi Orione Parish, Gaitu

Parish · Diocese of Meru · Since 2019

St. Luigi Orione Parish, Gaitu

The first parish in Kenya under the patronage of our Founder — and the home of the Congregation’s first health apostolate in the country.

Pastoral activity

The parish

The parish itself: its territory, its chapels, and its sacramental and liturgical life.

St. Luigi Orione Parish stands at Gaitu, in the Diocese of Meru, on the slopes below Mount Kenya. It was entrusted to the Orionines in 2019; the church was consecrated and the parish officially opened on 12 June 2022 by Bishop Salesius Mugambi. It is the first parish in Kenya to bear the name of our Founder.

The church itself is built of local stone, under a pitched roof, behind a painted gate that carries the name of the parish. The parish was born from the mother churches of Nkabune and Chaaria. Its community numbers four religious — three priests and one brother — and its first parish priest was Fr. Maurice Mawira.

Project & charity mission

Our works

What the community runs at Gaitu: the Orione Mission Afya Care Centre, the first health apostolate of the Congregation in Kenya.

Orione Mission Afya Care Centre — a dispensary

Dispensary

The centre is a dispensary, opened on 5 July 2025: the first health apostolate of the Congregation in Kenya. It offers general consultation, minor surgery, maternal and child health, and antenatal and postnatal care. Its staff includes a clinical officer, a nurse and support personnel; a laboratory is planned.

Afya means health. For a family that had been measuring distance to the nearest clinic in hours, the word is not abstract.

The Orione Mission Afya Care Centre at Gaitu — the dispensary seen from the road
The Orione Mission Afya Care Centre — the dispensary opened on 5 July 2025.
The Afya Care Centre building at Gaitu, from the side The triage and registration room of the Afya Care Centre The pharmacy shelves of the Afya Care Centre An observation bed at the Afya Care Centre The Afya Care Centre building at Gaitu The service charter of the Orione Mission Afya Care Centre, Gaitu

They do not care only for the spirit but also for the body: they are missionaries through and through.

A parishioner of Gaitu

The community

Religious community
4 religious — 3 priests and 1 brother
Local director
Fr. Peter Wambulwa Wakoba
Origins
Born from the mother churches of Nkabune and Chaaria
Opened
12 June 2022, by Bishop Salesius Mugambi
Works
Orione Mission Afya Care Centre (dispensary) — opened 5 July 2025

Photo gallery

St. Luigi Orione Catholic Parish church, Gaitu — the stone facade with the parish sign The stone entrance porch of the parish church at Gaitu The parish buildings at Gaitu, seen across the compound

Support & contact

The Afya Care Centre is young. A laboratory is planned, and the queue outside is not waiting for it patiently. Support and partnership are welcome.

Contact the Delegation