St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Parish – Muyeye is part of a story of faith, mission, and steady growth in the Diocese of Malindi. Officially erected on 3 June 2018 as the 21st parish of the Catholic Diocese of Malindi, the parish was established to respond to the pastoral needs of a growing community in the Muyeye area, on the southern outskirts of Malindi town.
Before becoming a parish, the Catholic community in Muyeye was served as an outstation of St. Francis Xavier Parish. As the area continued to grow, the need for a stronger and more permanent pastoral presence became clear. In response to this need, the Diocese entrusted the new mission to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), giving the parish a distinctive Ignatian and missionary character from its very beginning.
The first Jesuit to pass through Malindi was St. Francis Xavier in 1542. He prayed at what is now known as the Portuguese Chapel. In this sense, the Jesuit presence in Muyeye is part of a much older missionary history now renewed in our own time.
In late 2017, the Jesuits returned to Malindi at the invitation of Bishop Emmanuel Barbara, OFM Capuchin, to begin a new mission. The first priests to serve the community were Fr. Protus Opondo, SJ and Fr. Atakelt Tesfaye, SJ, who began pastoral ministry among the people of Muyeye even before the parish was formally erected. Later on, they were joined by Fr. Sosthenes Luyembe, SJ (2018), Fr. Damas Misanga, SJ (2019), Fr. Deshi Ramadhani, SJ (2023), Scholastics Stanslaus Kanenje, SJ (2024), and Paul Buyu, SJ (2025). Since then, Fr, Opondo, Fr. Atakelt, and Deshi, Sj have transferred to other missions of the Society.
On the day of its official erection, St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church, Muyeye, was formally declared a parish and entrusted to Jesuit pastoral care. The parish was placed under the patronage of St. Charles Lwanga, whose witness of courage, youthful faith, and fidelity to Christ continues to inspire the identity and mission of this community. In its earliest days, the community gathered in simple structures for worship as parish life gradually took root.
Today, St. Charles Lwanga Parish continues to build on this foundation of faith. Rooted in Catholic tradition and shaped by Ignatian spirituality, the parish seeks to remain a welcoming community of prayer, service, evangelization, and hope. Its history is not only a record of the past, but also a reminder of the mission that continues in the present.