Catholic church has disputed reports that Father Cosmas Omboto, who was shot dead on Wednesday, died while preaching.
Local media in Kenya said that Omboto, who was ordained by Bishop Joseph Mairura in Kisii Diocese in 2017, was preaching at Kembong Catholic church when he died.
Instead, Bishop Andrew Nkea, head of Mamfe Diocese, said Omboto was supervising cleaning of the church.
"Father was not preaching at that time. He was in the company of catechists and church members cleaning the church before being killed.
"He tried to run around the church to evade bullets and was shot in front of the main door while urging those present to hide behind," he told BBC.
Priests from Gusii region have condemned the incident and asked Cameroon government to protect civilians and missionaries.
Father Lawrence Nyaanga said the incident was a wake-up call to Christians around the world to rally for peace to avoid such incidents.
"It's sad that a priest can be killed by soldiers who should protect him. Let's remain calm and pray for peace," he said in an interview.
Plans are underway to ferry his remains for burial in Gusii, where he started his missionary duties as a young boy.
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