Thursday November 26, the second day of Pope Francis tour in Kenya, has been declared a public holiday and a national day of prayer and reflection. Francis will arrive at the JKIA on Wednesday evening on the first leg of his first trip to Africa that includes Uganda and the Central African Republic.
“As we are privileged to be hosting His Holiness the Pope at the time, he will set the tone for the day,” State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu said in a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday.
Following his arrival at 5pm, Francis will head to State House, where President Uhuru Kenyatta will host him at 6pm. At 6:30pm he will hold a meeting with Uhuru and other leaders. At the University of Nairobi on Thursday, he will lead an open-air mass which more than a million faithful, dignitaries and the President are expected to attend.
See also: Three things Kenyans want Pope Francis to address
“The Government of Kenya has declared 26th November 2015 a Public Holiday and a National Day of Prayer and Reflection,” read a statement by Esipisu.
In the statement by Esipisu, he however did not elaborate what prompted the change of mind, considering that in the weekly briefing on Sunday, he had disclosed that after holding several deliberations with the organizers of the papal visit and other stakeholders, it was decided that Kenyans should report to work as usual. “I know the question on everyone’s mind is whether we will have a public holiday when the Pope visits Kenya. That is not envisioned,” Mr Esipisu said on Sunday.
Pope Francis will land at Jommo Kenyatta International Airport on November 25 where he will be received by President Uhuru Kenyatta who is a Catholic himself, and other senior Government officials and church leaders.
On Thursday, the pontiff will have an inter-religious meeting at the Nuncio’s residence (the Pope’s representative in Kenya) and then head out to the University of Nairobi to celebrate Holy Mass. He will later on address the Catholic community at St Mary’s and thereafter address members of the diplomatic corps at the United Nations in Gigiri.
On Friday, the last day of his visit, His Holiness will address youth from across the country at Kasarani stadium and thereafter visit Kangemi residents to assess the Catholic Church’s work in the community. The Pope’s maiden visit to Kenya will definitely to pose a logistical nightmare in Nairobi Business District, as over 1.4 Million people are expected to come for the papal mass.
According to Bishop Alfred Rotich who is charge of the Apostolic Voyage to Kenya by his Holiness There are 1 000 parishes in the country and every parish is expected to bring 3 buses of pilgrims. Not less than 4 000 buses and hundreds of personal cars are expected in the CBD.
Next read: Here is where the Pope will stay while in Kenya
LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
Leave a comment