Dr. Mwai Kibaki, president of the Republic of Kenya, commended the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its role in combating HIV/AIDS in remarks on Nov. 12 at the State House in Nairobi.
Dr. Mwai Kibaki, president of the Republic of Kenya, commended the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its role in combating HIV/AIDS in remarks on Nov. 12 at the State House in Nairobi. Kibaki spoke during a courtesy call by Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church.
Kibaki said Kenya’s government recognizes the role played by the church and encouraged Adventists to make the fight against the pandemic one of its central roles. Paulsen indicated that the church was directly involved in such efforts in Kenya and in other countries; a seminar on HIV/AIDS, held in Nairobi during Paulsen’s visit, was part of that campaign.
Kibaki, who became president of Kenya one year ago, told Paulsen and the Adventist delegation that he appreciated the role of churches in society. He said churches have a role to play in both development and molding the lives of people. In response, Paulsen underscored the role the Seventh-day Adventist Church is playing in Kenya, having established a new regional headquarters in Nairobi in 2003 as well as through its health and educational programs in the area.
The meeting between the world church leader and Kenya’s president was the first in a series of events during Paulsen’s nine-day visit. The East-Central Africa region is one of the fastest-growing Adventist areas; the new administrative territory was inaugurated in 2003.
Addressing the HIV/AIDS seminar, Paulsen challenged church leadership to be fully involved in both preventing further infections and serving those affected by the disease. Mrs. Kari Paulsen, who accompanied her husband on this trip, also addressed the meeting on this subject.
On Nov. 15, the Paulsens, accompanied by regional church leaders, traveled to Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, where they were met by a large number of church members. A crowd estimated at over 30,000 heard the world church leader give a sermon and more than 300 people came forward during an appeal.
The next day Paulsen inaugurated a new multipurpose building in the city, constructed to house a church and a conference hall with guest rooms and a kitchen. Also opened was the building housing the first Seventh-day Adventist FM radio station in Tanzania, which featured Paulsen in its first broadcast.
