THE next Area Bishop of Wolverhampton, in the diocese of Lichfield, is to be the Rt Revd Dr Tim Wambunya, it was announced on Tuesday morning. It is his first episcopal appointment in the UK, after seven years as the Bishop of Butere, in Kenya.

After a career as a marine engineer, Dr Wambunya completed theological training at Oak Hill College, London, and was ordained priest in 1998. He served his title at St John’s Southall Green, in the diocese of London, and remained in the diocese as the Vicar of Emmanuel Church, Hornsey Road.

In 2007, he was appointed principal of Carlile College, in Nairobi. During his tenure, he studied for a Ph.D. in paremiology (the study of proverbs) at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

He was consecrated Bishop of Butere in 2013, where he served until 2020, before returning to the UK to be Vicar of St Paul’s, Slough — a resource church which, in 2021, received £409,000 from the Strategic Development Fund to support local outreach, train lay ministers, and develop intercultural work in the diocese of Oxford (News, 13 January 2023).

In the statement announcing the appointment, the Bishop of Lichfield, Dr Michael Ipgrave, said: “I look forward to working with and learning from Bishop Tim as he brings his theological and liturgical breadth and depth to the service and the leadership of the diocese.”

Dr Wambunya said: “I am thankful for the trust placed in me to serve this vibrant and diverse community. I look forward to working closely with my colleague bishops, the clergy, lay leaders, and parishioners to advance our intercultural mission of faith, hope, and love.”

A talented sprinter and rugby player in his youth, Dr Wambunya now prefers to move more slowly, and for longer, a statement from the diocese on Tuesday suggests. He is an enjoyer of “long walks” — a passion he shares with a large number of episcopal colleagues.

The diocesan statement says that he will be the fourth person of Black African heritage to serve as a Church of England bishop.