Grateful Pope Francis's awardee, 83, welcomes pontiff to Kenya

No sooner had Pope Francis taken the mantle of leading the world's estimated 1.2 billion Catholics on March 19, 2013, than he honoured several members of the clergy and the laity with the Benemerenti Medal for their dedication to the church.

Among those honoured was 83-year-old Auguistine Muma Odongo, a retired teacher and devout Catholic in Nyakach, Kisumu County.

83-year-old Augustine Muma Odongo awarded by Pope Francis in 2013 (PHOTO: COURTESY)

In an interview, the father of 11 said the award, accompanied by inspirational words from the Pope, bolstered his spiritual strength at the most trying time of his life when he had lost four of his children, all of them PhD degree holders, and successful professionals.

Mzee Muma says the medal, a gold Greek cross first awarded by Pope Pius V1 (1775 -1799) depicting Christ with his hand raised in blessing, was presented to him by Archbishop Zaccheus Okoth of the Kisumu Archdiocese.

"It came to me as consolation for my heavy losses. I am forever grateful to Pope Francis and I welcome him to Kenya," he said.

He added: "I would have wished to travel to Nairobi to meet the Holy Father as I did during the two trips by Pope John Paul II, but I am nursing a painful knee and have instructed my son, Prof Albert Muma, the Chairman of the University of Nairobi's School of Law, to do so on my behalf."

Mzee Muma was in 2004 awarded a State commendation by retired President Mwai Kibaki for his contribution to education sector.