‘Nairobi has never witnessed such’: How young believers made Rhema Feast a spectacle

“Somebody walked to me and said, ‘Sir, there is an invasion in the Office of the President,’” Dr Ruto said. “And later I discovered that it was an invasion by prayer warriors.”

That evening, motorists had to contend with massive crowds crossing or occupying some roads, bringing Nairobi to a standstill. Some believers sang as they walked along. “The streets of Nairobi have never witnessed prayer the way they have this week,” Dr Ruto further said.

Rev Dr Julian Kyula, the corporate leader-turned-cleric who is the founder of the Rhema Festival, also spoke about the Thursday evening march.

“The young people marched to the Office of the President and they prayed,” said Rev Kyula.

Starting on Monday and ending on Saturday morning after a Friday night kesha (vigil), the five-day event drew people from far and wide, most of them being young people.

Read: Why youth are drawn to revivals

With free entrance, day-long preaching sessions and gospel artiste performances lined up, the Rhema Festival has become a crowd-puller. It had been marketed on billboards, sections of the press and online as a forum for ultimate Christian nourishment.

“What was broken will be restored. What was forgotten will be revived,” said a Facebook post made in July by the organisers.

The line-up of preachers for the event also caught the eye, featuring names like Apostle Joshua Selman, Pastor T Mwangi, Pastor George Macharia, Rev JB Masinde, Lady Bishop Kathy Kiuna, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Pastor David Ogbueli, among others.

The artistes’ line-up had names like Sinach, Moji Shortbabaa, Ntokozo Mbambo, DR Tumi, Jacque Gachiri, Kestin Mbogo, Dunsin Oyekan, among others.

Whether it was the line-ups or simply the reputation of the event, crowds swarmed in by the thousands. By 6pm on Friday, the area under the massive flag at Uhuru Park had no spare space. Believers occupied every available patch of grass. Wearing solemn faces, raising their hands every now and then, shouting when asked to, chanting to themselves in prayer or simply soaking in the moment, they were there to worship. Some waved their countries’ flags, others had whistles in their mouths, and vuvuzelas were also not in short supply.

Movement in and out of the main arena was a chore, almost causing stampedes in some instances. One had to queue at the entrance to be searched, and police, in coordination with private security personnel, had to work extra hard to manage the crowds.

Some of the youthful attendants who spoke with Nation on Friday evening said they headed to Uhuru Park for various reasons.

Daniel Ngugi, a 30-year-old mechatronics engineer currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, said he came “to be inspired and be guided”.

Mr Ngugi closely follows Nigerian preacher Joshua Selman, who was arguably the headliner of the Rhema Feast. “It has been my dream to meet Joshua Selman,” said Daniel. “I made some money from freelancing after hearing the word from him. He was talking in a sermon about value, and he said the reason you are poor is not that you are bad; it’s because you have not provided value to someone.”

Read: How the Hallelujah Challenge became Kenyans’ faith beacon

Daniel believes that young Kenyans need the Christian connection because of where they are in life. “Young people need Jesus more than even the old because they have a bigger future ahead of them, and it’s very important that we walk with Jesus. Some are approaching marriage. Others are entering into businesses. Others are graduating. So, it is a season of change, and it is necessary that we put God first,” he told the Nation.

For Kimberley Kabe, a 20-year-old student at the KCA University, attendance was her way of serving the Lord. She was at Uhuru Park every day and was planning to spend Friday night at the venue, leaving at 7am on Saturday when the 2026 edition was scheduled to end.

A Christian dancer, Kimberley performed on the stage on various occasions.

“There are some artistes we are dancing with, and it’s such an honour, especially ministering with artistes that I never thought [I would meet],” she said.

She also attended the 2025 edition of the Rhema Feast, though she wasn’t engaged in dancing.

Asked about what has moved her most about this year, she said: “I’ll just say the amount of young people here.”

“It has just shocked me. It shows how God is moving in this generation,” said Kimberley.

Twenty-seven-year-old Fredrick Asanda, a Nairobi-based sign language interpreter and health ambassador, said he attended for networking.

“I’m here to be able to connect with as many people as possible, and be able to educate people in terms of some of the health services that I’m providing,” he said.

He also said he was shocked by the turnout.

“The multitude, man. The multitude. You see this number of people? So many. I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “Young people have decided to turn to God. And they have decided that for all the questions that they have, this is the right place that they can get answers.”

The Rhema Feast traces its roots back to 2015 when Rev Kyula pioneered a gathering under his Ruach Assemblies, a network of Christian churches. A subsequent edition was held in Machakos in 2019, recording low turnout, but in 2022 it caught the public eye when considerable crowds headed to the stadium.

In 2025 and 2026, the event was held at Uhuru Park, proving to be a hit with the masses.

“There are so many nations represented here. May you take this fire back to your country,” Dr Kyula told the gathering on Friday evening.

Dr Ruto, speaking at the same event, added: “I am overwhelmed by what I see in the young people of our nation. You don’t know how much confidence you give to our nation when you trust God.”

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