Wamuzi News Ke
President William Ruto has landed in Italy unannounced—just hours before Pope Francis’s funeral—despite earlier claims that National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula would stand in on his behalf.
Yes, you read that right. Just days after wrapping up his high-level state visit to China, Ruto has surfaced in Rome, personally stepping into the global spotlight for one of the most significant religious events of the decade.
Exclusive photos obtained by WamuziNews.co.ke show Speaker Wetang’ula welcoming Ruto on Italian soil—a scene nobody saw coming after Wetang’ula publicly stated, as recently as Thursday, that he had been assigned the solemn duty of representing Kenya at the Pope’s final send-off.
So what changed? And why the cloak-and-dagger shift in plans? The mystery has tongues wagging and eyebrows raised across diplomatic circles.
Even more eyebrow-raising is the star-studded attendance list. The Vatican has confirmed the presence of at least 11 African heads of state, including Angola’s President Joao Lourenco, Cape Verde’s President Jose Maria Neves, and DR Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi. Morocco’s PM Aziz Akhannouch, Lesotho’s King Letsie III, and Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan are also confirmed, among others.
As the world prepares to bid farewell to Pope Francis—a man revered for his unwavering voice for the oppressed and controversial stance against global powerhouses—the funeral is expected to draw a staggering crowd of hundreds of thousands.
The late Pontiff’s zinc-sealed coffin will lie before the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica during Saturday’s funeral mass at 10:00 AM, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Attendees will include 250 cardinals, and a sea of clergy from across the globe.
This historic mass, in line with the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, will be the first of nine days of mourning liturgies leading to May 4.
But in the shadow of this spiritual event, the question still lingers: Why did Ruto reverse course and show up in person?
