Pope Francis has arrived in Kenya for a three-nation African tour - his first to the continent as pontiff.President Uhuru Kenyatta and ululating crowds welcomed him at the airport in the capital, Nairobi.An atheist group says it will challenge in court a government decision to declare Thursday a holiday in honour of the pontiff.
A leading Muslim cleric in Kenya welcomed the visit, saying it gave hope to the "downtrodden in the slums".Pope Francis is also due to visit Uganda and Central African Republic, which has been hit by Christian-Muslim conflict."I go with joy to meet Kenyans, Ugandans and our brothers in Central Africa," he told journalists on his plane, the Associated Press news agency reports.
He played down fears for his safety by joking: "I'm more worried about the mosquitoes Kenya's government has said that up to 10,000 police officers may be deployed during the visit.
