Pope Leo XIV has appointed Kenyan development expert Lucy Afandi Esipila as a Consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, placing her among 12 experts selected to support the department’s work. The Vatican announced the appointment on August 18, 2026, identifying Esipila as the Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa. The appointment is officially listed by the Dicastery and is therefore directly verifiable from a Vatican source. Esipila will serve alongside theologians, academics, clergy and professionals from different parts of the world who have been appointed to provide specialised expertise to the Dicastery.
According to the Vatican, Consultors are selected for their expertise, proven ability and prudence. They contribute human, scientific, pastoral and ecclesial knowledge to the work of the Dicastery, particularly on matters requiring specialised attention. Consultors are appointed for a five-year term. Esipila currently serves as Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa, the continental network of Catholic charitable and development organisations. She was elected to the position in May 2023, becoming the first woman and youngest person to serve as Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa, according to Caritas Internationalis.
Her professional background includes humanitarian work, community development and policy advocacy. Esipila began her work with Caritas in Maralal, Kenya, before later serving with Caritas Kenya and moving to Caritas Africa. Her experience has involved working with communities and on development issues that affect vulnerable populations. Her current work at the continental level has also involved advocacy and engagement on development and humanitarian concerns. The appointment does not make Esipila the head of the Dicastery. As a Consultor, she will instead contribute expertise and advice to the department alongside the other newly appointed advisers.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development deals with issues including peace, migration, healthcare, poverty, human development, environmental concerns and social justice. The Vatican said the latest appointments were drawn from different professional and geographical backgrounds, reflecting the Church’s emphasis on universality. Among the other new Consultors are Rev. Emmanuel Katongole, a Ugandan priest and professor at the University of Notre Dame; Omer S. Combary, an economics professor from Burkina Faso; and academics and professionals from Italy, Switzerland, Australia, India and the United States.
Esipila’s appointment gives Kenya representation among the professionals advising a Vatican department whose work covers many of the development and humanitarian issues affecting communities across Africa. Her experience with Caritas Africa places her within a network that works on issues affecting vulnerable populations and communities across the continent. Caritas Internationalis identifies her as the Regional Coordinator of Caritas Africa and confirms that she was elected to the position in 2023. The appointment also builds on her long-standing involvement in Catholic development work. In a 2024 reflection published by Caritas Africa, Esipila described her work with Caritas Maralal as the beginning of her Caritas journey and highlighted her experience working with local communities in Kenya.
She will now bring that regional and professional experience to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as one of its newly appointed Consultors. The Vatican appointment was announced on August 18, 2026, and her term, like those of the other new Consultors, is set for five years.