Media Gather to Hear Elder Stevenson in Kenya

More than 30 journalists gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday, February 17, 2024, to meet an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles introduced himself at a news conference in the capital city.

Downloadable B-Roll and SOTs

“A question that might be on many of your minds is, ‘What is an Apostle?’” said Elder Stevenson.

“If people are familiar with Christianity, they’re familiar with Apostles,” he said. “We too are called to go into the nations of the world and bear witness of the divine sonship of Jesus Christ, the son of the living God.”

“We had many representatives from radio and newspaper and television who gathered with us at one of our meetinghouses to ask questions with remarkable curiosity about what the Church is doing,” Elder Stevenson said.

The media event was broadcast live on a national television station in Kenya, home to 20,000 Latter-day Saints.

Elder Stevenson was joined at the media event by Elder Ian S. Ardern, President of the Africa Central Area, and Dennis Mukasa, the area’s self-reliance regional manager, to field questions from journalists about humanitarian projects, missionary work and the new house of the Lord under construction in Nairobi.

The Nairobi Kenya Temple will be the Church of Jesus Christ’s first temple in Kenya.

“We consider temples to be where our most sacred sacraments take place. Temples are a place where we unite families for eternity,” the Apostle shared with the media.

Elder Ardern said there is “significant” growth of the Church in Kenya and the Africa Central Area.

“The people of this area love God, and so they come to the Church with a firm foundation because of their belief in Christ,” he said. “We try to build on what they already have. We’re building temples and we’re building people.”

The first missionaries arrived in Kenya in 1980. “We are grateful to the government of Kenya, who is supportive of religious freedom that allowed our church to be registered here in Kenya in 1991,” Elder Ardern added.

Robinson Imende, 35, is considered a pioneer in Kenya. He joined the Church at the age of 20, although he attended Primary as a young boy.

Imende said the new house of the Lord will strengthen his native country.

“Having a temple in Nairobi, Kenya, to me means that, first of all, the country will be blessed,” said Imende. “There's so much peace and blessing that comes not only to members but even to the government where we are of Kenya. There'll be a lot of peace in the surrounding countries.”

The news conference was held in Nairobi as Elder Stevenson concluded a nine-day ministry to several African countries, including Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“I think this is exemplary of what we have seen with the Saints and missionaries who are here. We’re all in the process of building, progressing, working and finishing,” Elder Stevenson concluded.