Priest Alexander Otoli, rector of the parishes of the Great Martyr Irene and the First Martyr Stephen in the Kakamega Deanery in Kenya, has passed away

On the evening of October 15, 2026, at the age of 66, after a long period of illness, priest Alexander Otoli, rector of two parishes in the Kakamega Deanery in Kenya, passed away.

Metropolitan Konstantin expresses his sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the departed pastor.

Father Alexander was born in Vihiga, Kenya, on August 13, 1961. He was baptized as an adult.

In 2001, he graduated from the Makarios Orthodox Theological Seminary in Nairobi.

In June 1999, he was ordained a deacon. In June 2001, he was ordained a priest in the Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

In 2022, he transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

He served as rector of the parishes of the Great Martyr Irene in Maseno and of the First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen in the village of Ebaya in the Kenyan deanery of Kakamega.

He was married and raised four children. One of his sons, Luke Ombima, is studying at the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Seminary.

Father Alexander transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church along with his entire congregation. The priest and his parishioners were forced to leave the church of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church, despite the fact that the property belonged to the community. Father Alexander began serving in a school building located near the church.

However, representatives of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church initiated legal proceedings against him based on false accusations. As a result of the trial, the priest was acquitted by the court.

Because of this ordeal, Father Alexander’s health deteriorated, and the faithful of the deanery began to call him “the Confessor.”

About a year after the incident, the elderly priest’s condition deteriorated, and he passed away late last night.

Father Alexander remained steadfast in his faith and a courageous shepherd of the Russian Orthodox Church to the end.

Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa