Nairobi Kenya Temple

In February 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley—accompanied by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—embarked on an international tour of five African countries and locations in Canada, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.

During the afternoon of February 17, 1998, President Hinckley arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, where he addressed some 900 members in a conference room at his hotel. Members were elated to meet the prophet and traveled from as far as Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda to be with him. Because not all could afford a trip to Nairobi, some members joined their money together to send representatives who could come back and relate the experience of being with the prophet of the Lord. During his remarks, President Hinckley said, "There isn't the slightest doubt in my mind that the time will come if you will walk in faith and patience that a temple will be built in this land to serve the needs of this people. Now, don't count on it for a few years,…but it will be so."¹