By Felix Olick, Mercy Kahenda and Titus Too
KENYA: Thousands of Christians gathered in churches to celebrate Good Friday, as they marked the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
At the Holy Family Basilica, the head of Catholic Church in Kenya John Cardinal Njue led Christians in prayers before embarking on a procession across the city to symbolise the journey Jesus followed to Golgotha, where he was crucified.
The cardinal, dressed in his white episcopal cassock and a small red hat, and assisted by some priests, carried a huge wooden cross, just as Jesus did before he was crucified.
The procession began at the church with faithful walking through Uhuru Highway to Kenyatta Avenue.
They went through Mbagathi Road and then to Nyayo Stadium before finding their way back to town.
There was occasional traffic snarl up along the roads as the hundreds of faithful recited prayers and sang hymns during the procession.
And at the All Saints Cathedral, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala urged Kenyans to accept the ruling by the Supreme Court today on the presidential election petition.
Plea for peace
“Let’s accept the verdict of the legal process that is taking place. Because God is in charge of all that is taking place in the country,” he said.
He said the Easter season was time for forgiveness and pleaded with Kenyans to break ‘walls of ethnicity’.
In Nakuru, Bishop Maurice Muhatia led Catholic faithful in a procession on the streets while carrying a cross. “Everybody was created by God and we should take care of each other despite being from different races,” said Gregory Adala, a faithful. Protestants in the same town gathered in their respective churches to commemorate the death of Jesus and to pray for peace.
In Eldoret, residents spent most part of Good Friday in their farms planting since the rains have just started. The day presented an opportunity for farmers who had not bought inputs on time to rush for the products at outlets in urban areas.
Kipkemei Birgen, a maize farmer at Kosachei in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County said celebrations were low-keyed.
“Some of us are in the farms. Others are planting while others are still preparing to plant due to short supply of fertiliser,” said Birgen.
At the same time, Kipkorir Menjo, a Kenya Farmers Association director, urged the Government to ensure the fertiliser being sold is of high quality.
“It is a planting rush hour and the Government should ensure quality is not compromised,” said Menjo.
