Worshippers at the Holy Ghost Cathedral on Nkrumah Road, Mombasa, were surprised when President Uhuru Kenyatta quietly joined them for the 9.15am mass yesterday. Clad in a simple, blue short-sleeved shirt and jeans, the President alighted from his vehicle and walked into the church.
He arrived in a convoy of four vehicles and did not have his security detail and a press team. When he joined other worshippers at the entrance, one of them recognised him and could not hide her surprise.
She stopped and shouted, alerting the rest: “President yule....ndiye huyu anaingia kanisani. Amekuja vipi, lakini hatukumwona” (There is the President. He is entering the church. But how did he arrive and we did not see him?)
Looking relaxed and jovial, the President and Nyali MP Hezron Awiti, who had also just arrived for the service, walked together into the church and sat in the front row.
Before the service started, Father Robert Omondi announced the President’s and Mr Awiti’s presence, amid loud clapping and ululation. President Kenyatta later joined the queue to receive the Holy Sacrament from the presiding priest, Father Vincent Owuor.
After the service, Fr Omondi invited the President to address the congregation, but the Head of State declined. He asked the priest to tell the congregation that he had attended the service “as an ordinary Catholic”.
Father Omondi urged the President not to tire in serving Kenyans with diligence and humility because the people looked upon him for guidance and direction. Outside the church, Mr Kenyatta shook hands with a few of the worshippers and briefly chatted with a young boy before he was driven off.
As his convoy drove out of the church, the smiling President waved at the worshippers and wished them well, “mbarikiwe’, (may you be blessed). The faithful responded amen and waved back. Nation
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