By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 24 April 2026 - Kisumu County is stepping into the global spotlight.
National and Nyanza religious leaders are planning a massive interfaith prayer as the world faces rising tensions and a deepening global energy crisis.
The prayer meeting will be held at Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground in Mamboleo this August. Organisers expect at least 50,000 people.
The gathering is not just religious. It is strategic. It comes at a time when global oil supply chains are under strain and at a time of global uncertainty.
An ongoing oil and energy crisis, driven by conflicts in Russia, Ukraine, and Iran, has disrupted supply chains.
Coordinator Fred Akama, says the warring state has pushed fuel prices and inflation higher across the world.
“Conflicts in Russia, Ukraine, and Iran are driving uncertainty. Fuel prices remain volatile. Inflation is rising again in many global economies,’’ he explained.
World leaders are now calling for diplomatic truce to ease pressure on energy markets amid increasing inflationary pressures not only in Kenya but worldwide.
Religious leaders say their mission is clear. Pray for peace. Pray for stability. Pray for a world under pressure.
Akama said the event will attract global clerics. Some have already confirmed. Others are expected.
Nigerian preacher Johnson Suleman is among the frontline guests.
The event is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshippers alongside international religious leaders.
Kisumu County is now fully behind the plan. Organisers met on Thursday in Kisumu to fine-tune preparations.
County officials have joined the planning process.
Sports and Cultural Heritage Affairs executive member Ms Beatrice Odongo represented Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o and pledged material support.
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The county sees this as more than a prayer meeting.
“It is positioning Kisumu as a centre for faith and spiritual tourism and regional unity,” said Ms Odongo.
Nyong’o has welcomed the initiative. He sees it as timely. He sees it as unifying.
The county is keen to host visitors from East Africa and beyond.
Kisumu county leadership views it as both a major spiritual gathering and an opportunity to position Kisumu as a regional centre for peace, faith diplomacy, and international religious tourism.
Delegates are expected from Europe, Asia, and the United States, according to the organisers led by Akama.
This, Ms Odongo said, gives Kisumu a chance to showcase its growing profile. Local religious leaders in the whole Nyanza region are also mobilising widely. Phoebe Onyango says invitations are going out across denominations, including Muslim religious leaders. She is urging unity in faith.
Phoebe is also linking the revival to global realities. Global War, she says, is hurting economies.
“It is disrupting oil flows. It is raising the cost of living.”
Her message is simple. The world needs peace. Kenya needs calm ahead of 2027.
The Kisumu prayer meeting aims to speak to both. “It blends faith with global urgency. It brings prayer into the centre of policy and public life.” Phoebe said.
Kisumu is making a bold statement. It is opening its doors. It is backing a spiritual pilgrimage with political goodwill.
And at a time when the world is anxious over oil and conflict, the city is offering a different path — prayer, unity, and hope for Kenyans and global citizens.