Pope Francis lands in Nairobi for his maiden Africa visit

Pope Francis has jetted into the country for a three-day state visit to Nairobi.

The Pope aboard an Alitalia flight now christened The Shepherd One, landed at exactly 4:32PM.

Pope France disembarked from the plane at 4:50PM.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Chief of Defence Forces General Samson Mwathethe, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, the clergy and other top government officials were at hand to receive the Holy Father.

The Pope will proceed to State House for a meeting with President Kenyatta and several leaders including those from the opposition.

He will thereafter address the nation before retiring to the Vatican Embassy for the night.

The government has declared Thursday a national holiday, enabling members of the public to follow the proceedings at the mass to be held at the University of Nairobi grounds.

The Pope will also visit Kangemi, a low-income neighborhood and address youth during his three-day visit.

The seventy-eight year old pope will on Friday depart for Uganda, and on the final leg of his tour, visit the Central African Republic before returning to Rome.