The death of Pope Francis has left the people of Kangemi in Westlands, Nairobi County, with nothing but fond memories of his visit to Kenya in 2015, which transformed their neighbourhood.
They described him as a man who cared for the poor, the sick, the elderly and the marginalised, something they said was unforgettable.
St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, Nairobi, on April 21, 2025. Pope Francis visited the church on November 27, 2015 during his visit to Kenya.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation
At St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, which the Pope visited in November 2015, Mr Peter Magu, one of the people involved in planning his tour there, vividly recalls what it meant to them to host the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican.
Peter Magu, the church moderator at St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, Nairobi on April 21, 2025 recalls Pope Francis’s visit.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation
Mr Magu, the moderator of the church, says the visit raised the status of the church and the area, which was initially known for negative things.
“Kangemi was known for very negative things but by the grace of God we were redeemed by the visit of the Pope,” he says.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives at the Kangemi slums on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi, November 27, 2015.
Photo credit: Reuters
Mr Magu reveals that the Pope was originally scheduled to visit a church in the slums of Mukuru. But plans changed at the last minute because of the distance and the state of the roads leading to the area.
“We were slotted on the last day as the visit and we were engaged in the planning. We were not used to this kind of thing visit. We had to involve the security people and State House,” the coordinator says.
According to him, the people behind the Pope's visit had told them to stick to a 45-minute Mass so that the Pope would be released on time to go to the next venue, Kasarani, where he was to address the youth.
Pope Francis attends a meeting at St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Nairobi on November 27, 2015.
Photo credit: File | AFP
But when the Pope arrived and met the poor and the youth, he told them not to disturb him and to give him enough time with the people.
“When he came and saw the audience, he said, excuse me, and let nobody hurry me up. This is what I came for. We engaged with the Nuncio and we were given another half an hour,” he recalls.
Mr Magu says the Pope’s love for the poor and the needy in the society should guide the bishops in choosing his successor.
“He was very close to the sick, the children and even visited the jailed in some other parts of the world. He was such a man, down to earth.”
The seat that Pope Francis used on November 27, 2015 when he visited St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi in this photo taken on April 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation
During his visit, the Pope sat on a normal chair and did not want any VIP treatment. There was no red carpet for him and no redecoration inside the church.
At the time of his visit, the church, which is located in the centre of the slum, was not very well furnished. It had no tiles and the walls were unpainted.
After his visit, the church received 10,000 euros (Sh1.5 million) from the Vatican, which they used to change the appearance of the church.
Pope Francis (centre) with Bishops Cornelius Korir (left) and Wilson Kurui (right) follow proceedings during the Pope’s visit to St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, Nairobi on November 27, 2015.
Photo credit: File
His visit also saw some development in the area, including the installation of street lights and the tarmacking of the road.
According to Collins Otieno Asika, who was the church's technician during the Pope's visit, the experience of sitting close to the Pope is an unforgettable memory.
Collins Otieno Asika, the vice secretary of the parish council and a technician at St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, Nairobi on April 21, 2025 recalls Pope Francis’s visit.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation
“A three-phase power supply was installed then because of the demands but after his visit the line has not been in use. It was a special day for me and a golden opportunity. It was not easy for anyone to enter the church,” Mr Otieno says.
According to Maurice Okech, another resident, the Pope's visit was a blessing for them because it put their church and the area on the world map.
“This area has really changed. Yes, the Pope has died but his visit lives with us here in Kenya. We now have good roads here and the street lights, which were a dream before his visit,” Mr Okech said.
Pope Francis blesses the crowd at St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Nairobi on November 27, 2015.
For Margaret Njoroge, the Pope's visit was a blessing not only for her, but also for her daughter Judy, who was four at the time.
She says the Pope extended his hand and blessed her daughter, who has since served in the church and is doing well in her studies.
“She is 13 now and since she received the Pope’s blessings, she has been a different child in my family. She loves God and is a disciplined girl,” Ms Njoroge said.
An inside view of St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Kangemi, Nairobi, on April 21, 2025. Pope Francis visited the church on November 27, 2015 during his visit to Kenya.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation
It is also one of the reasons why her daughter dreams of becoming a nun and dedicating her life to serving the Church, a choice her mother is proud of, despite being the only girl in a family of four.
“She says that she wants to be a sister and I always pray that she becomes that and not to change her mind in her adolescent stage. If she becomes a sister, the hand that the Pope laid on her would have worked.”
