Kenyans on Sunday, April 5, joined fellow Christian faithful world over in marking Palm Sunday, which went down in history as the first outdoor Christian event marked online as the world ground into a global lockdown.
The normal tradition for Palm Sundays sees Christians walk along streets with palm tree leaves in remembrance of Jesus Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem before his arrest.
The annual celebration, however, found Christians at home following the Covid-19 pandemic that necessitated the need for social distancing that would be impractical in such an event.
Kisumu Archbishop, Philip Anyolo, led other Catholic faithful in a live televised Palm Sunday mass at the Holy Family Basilica while calling on Kenyans to heed the government directive on social distancing.
"The Catholic churches join the government in calls to ensure we all stay safe, during this tough time, the church brings to all a reassurance of hope for a better tomorrow.''
Some evangelical preachers such as Reverend Peter Otieno of the Church Empowerment Ministries in Umoja Estate argued that it was possible to hold Palm Sunday celebrations if the government had consulted them.
Watch the video below:
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''Although I support the directives to ensure that everyone is safe, the government could have allowed even 30 mins today to have the event and let our members go back home,''
"Celebrating palm Sunday online is not a possible thing as it has to be marked by action, today we cancelled our plans to celebrate it,'' Reverend Otino stated adding that the cost of internet access was prohibitive for most faithful.
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday in the Christian calendar before the start of the Easter Season, as Christians emulate Jesus Christ in acts of humility before he was crucified.
On Sunday, March 29, some churches had their members arrested for defying the government's ban on gatherings. However, they were later released after being advised on the importance of self-isolation and hygiene.
