He was privileged to meet the Pope twice —once during his 2015 visit to Kenya, and another time he chose to keep private.
But on Friday, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta stood shoulder to shoulder with Catholics and fellow Kenyans at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, joining thousands in a deeply emotional mass to say goodbye to the beloved Pontiff, ahead of his burial.
He eulogised him as a man who exemplified humility. He said he was a man who, despite his high position, did not walk in and amongst the high and mighty of the world.
“We gather here today as people from different backgrounds, from different religions, to remember and celebrate the life of a man who truly walked in the path of Jesus.”
Pope Francis, Mr Kenyatta said, was able to extend beyond his religion “and even the most vulnerable and the most outcast”.
He “truly was a man who walked in a path of giving dignity to human life, regardless of whichever position he was found in.”
The memories of when he met Pope Francis, he said, “remain very dear and close to me…and I can stand as somebody who can testify to his level of humility.”
When Pope Francis visited Nairobi, Mr Kenyatta was the Head of State and hosted him at the State House.
In the diplomatic space, usually, when there is a head of state, which the pontiff was visiting in that capacity as well, or a head of government, there would be a one-on-one session with the president of the host nation.
Nostalgically reliving that moment, Mr Kenyatta said someone had asked for a private audience. But after putting the message across, a moment of silence ensued after the person walked in, he narrated.
“The person came in, sat down, and there was complete silence. Then the Pope turned to me and asked, ‘I thought you said he wanted to talk to me?’ And for the first time, I was thrown out of a meeting in my own office,” he said, drawing laughter from the congregation.
“May the Almighty lord rest this great man and soul eternal peace,” he wrote in the condolence book.
On behalf of the government, Chief Justice Martha Koome said “we stand with Catholics to mourn and celebrate Pope Francis,” urging that the great legacy he left be passed on.
“You loved the life of our maker Jesus Christ of Nazareth by standing up for the poorest of the poor and the marginalised. Rest in God’s peace, Holy father,” Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka wrote in the condolence book.
“Rest in peace servant of God who served mankind with humility, love, and compassion. We shall endeavour to walk in your footsteps,” wrote Martha Karua.
The former Cabinet Secretary Justin said the pontiff was “the best embodiment of true humility of our time.”
The Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, led the requiem mass for the departed Pope in Nairobi, where several Kenyans joined the global Catholic community in mourning the pontiff.
At the end of his life, Pope Francis lost his voice, Archbishop Megen said, “he who identified with the voiceless truly became voiceless.”
Archbishop Megen’s homily wove through memories of the Pope’s groundbreaking papacy, his humility, his calls for peace, and his tireless push for inclusivity within the Church.
Bells tolled softly then a solemn silence blanketed the Holy Family Basilica on Friday morning, where hundreds of faithful gathered to mourn and celebrate the life of Pope Francis.
The sanctuary was transformed into a mosaic of prayer and remembrance. Candles flickered gently near a framed portrait of the late Pope, whose warm smile and legacy of compassion seemed to hover in the incense-scented air.
The mass, running concurrently with memorials across the country, brought together a broad cross-section of the faithful —clergy, laity, and political leaders united in grief and gratitude.
“Today, even as we mourn his passing, we give thanks for the grace and the privilege of having journeyed under his fatherly guidance,” Archbishop Philip Anyolo said. “His words and his witness profoundly touched the hearts across the world, especially among the poor, the marginalised, the young, the elderly…May his enduring legacy, humility, service, and unity continue.”
Security was tight but unobtrusive, allowing the faithful to focus on the ceremony.
In Nakuru, hundreds of Catholic faithful attended a requiem mass at Christ the King Cathedral where Very Rev. Fr. George Munyaka, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru, praised the Pope’s humility, saying he left a legacy of simplicity, respect, and devotion.
Fr Munyaka highlighted the Pope’s appreciation for his nurse even on his deathbed, urging Kenyans to value everyone regardless of social status.
He criticized pride and the tendency of some Christians to look down on others, reminding the faithful of Pope Francis’s example of humility. He noted that the Pope owned only an old Bible, letters, a Rosary, and a statue of Mother Mary, reflecting his deep faith.
Fr Munyaka also called for simple funerals and urged leaders to serve the people rather than amass wealth. He said Pope Francis’s life teaches that true greatness lies in humility, service, and one’s relationship with God.
In Nairobi, Nakuru, and many other parts of Kenya, as in Rome, his spirit was palpable. A humble servant of the people, he was remembered by a world he so deeply touched.
