Former President Uhuru Kenyatta recently shared a humorous anecdote about an encounter with Pope Francis during the pontiff’s visit to Kenya in 2015.
In a lighthearted moment, President Kenyatta recounted how, during a meeting at State House, Pope Francis playfully asked him to leave his own office.
“As most of you in the diplomatic service know, when a Head of State is visiting, you normally have a one-on-one session before you go out together in public. Now, before this, an individual I will not name had requested a short meeting to which I agreed,” Said Uhuru.
“After our meeting concluded, I invited the individual, and then we all sat there in silence. It is then that His Holiness told me, ‘I thought you said he wanted to talk to me.’ So for the first time as President, another Head of State threw me out of my own office, which I found to be quite incredible,” Uhuru added.
This remark was made in jest and was part of a broader conversation highlighting the warmth and camaraderie between the two leaders during the visit.
The meeting in question took place during Pope Francis’s visit to Kenya in November 2015, which was part of his first trip to Africa.
During this visit, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of unity, reconciliation, and the fight against corruption in Kenya.
President Kenyatta, a Catholic, welcomed the Pope’s messages and requested his prayers for the country as it faced challenges related to corruption and ethnic divisions.
While the anecdote about being “thrown out of the office” was shared in a lighthearted context, it underscores the strong and respectful relationship between President Kenyatta and Pope Francis, characterized by mutual respect and shared values.
