Mention ‘Kwa Father Babu’ in Arusha and directions appear easily. Father Babu isn’t a street. It’s a collection of Roman Catholic Church institutions. This area carries the name of Father Joseph Babu Lesulio Kiwale. He founded the parish over 40 years ago. He later passed away in Arusha at 99. Locals see Father Babu as the symbol of Ngarenaro Parish. He was sympathetic to poor neighborhoods. These neighborhoods characterized Ngarenaro Suburb along Dodoma Road.
Ngarenaro was once a high-density suburb. It showed signs of becoming a slum. Poor families came to work as laborers on settler farms. Others sought petty jobs after the Second World War. It was considered Arusha’s backyard until 1973. Father Babu established the parish then. It transformed into an ecumenical, medical, and educational hub for the city.
Born in Uru near Moshi in 1917, he worked at the parish for many years. He retired and peacefully died at St Elizabeth Hospital. Many were shocked by his death shortly before his 100th birthday. Ms. Defrosa Massawe a nurse at St Elizabeth Hospital said that Father Babu passed away shortly after being admitted for treatment due to complications associated with old age.
Father Amandus Kapele admired Father Babu. He would be remembered for establishing church-run institutions. These include Kibosho Hospital and Kibosho Girls Secondary School near Moshi. Father Babu’s remains were buried at Usa River Junior Seminary. He is considered the patriarch of the Holy Ghost Fathers. This Roman Catholic congregation dedicated their lives to working with newly freed slaves in East Africa. They began buying slaves in Zanzibar in the 1860s. They opened schools and hospitals. They taught marketable skills. They also gave property to those who needed it.
Father Kapele stated Father Babu is remembered for parish ministry. He also founded St Joseph’s Ngarenaro Girls Secondary School. Further, he founded Kibosho Girls Secondary School in Moshi. Additionally, he founded Tengeru Boys Secondary School in Arusha and Ngarenaro St Elizabeth Hospital.
His dedication has made Father Babu admired even after death. His long life in service to various parishes is notable. Father Babu was born on September 5 1917 in Uru. He studied at Singachini Teachers’ Training College in Moshi from 1928 to 1933. He became a Grade II teacher. He joined St James Junior Seminary in 1936. He attended Senior Seminary at Kibosho in 1939. He became a Diocesan Priest on March 1 1947. He was assigned to Arusha in 1968. There, he opened Ngarenaro Parish in 1973. He served at a parish in Nairobi Kenya from 1991 to 2001.
For many years, he was Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Church Arusha Diocese. He worked as bursar of the East African Foundation in the 1980s. He also served as provincial bursar of the Holy Ghost Fathers. He inspired thousands through his service.
St Elizabeth Hospital is known as “Kwa Father Babu” in Arusha. It’s located in Ngarenaro suburb. It serves as a referral hospital for dispensaries and health centers. St. Elizabeth Hospital is one of the three largest hospitals in Arusha.