President Uhuru Kenyatta attended a church service at the All Saints Cathedral on Sunday as the Anglican church marked 100 years of existence in Kenya but refused to take the sacrament.
In an event that was presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Kenyatta politely declined to take the sacrament stating he is a Roman Catholic and since the event was live, "maybe Cardinal John Njue was watching".
The Head of State shared the light moment with Bishop Welby amid bursts of laughter from the congregants.
“Where I come from (Catholic Church), we don’t offer Communion to strangers and I was quite willing to go up but then I realised that this event is live and my Cardinal may be watching,
"I wasn’t sure how he would respond to that,” stated Kenyatta, referring to Cardinal Njue.
[caption caption="Photo of the Leaders Outside All Saints Cathedral"][/caption]
Archbishop Welby, who is the global leader of the Anglican Community, joked that he did not think Kenyatta would get into trouble with Cardinal Njue because of taking the Holy Communion.
“Given that I gave the Pope a gift last Friday and he didn’t say no, I think I’m allowed to give this to you without the Cardinal getting you into trouble,” stated Welby.
He also apologised for using the President's microphone stating that a similar act in his home country England would get him into a lot of trouble.
“I’m sorry Your Excellency, I used your microphone. In England, that would be called lèse-majesté, and I would be confined in prison for many years," he remarked.
The centenary event attracted several leaders, among them National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga and Chief Justice David Maraga, with the underlying message being reconciliation.
[caption caption="Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby"][/caption]