A gay rugby player threatened with removal to Kenya, where he fears he would face persecution because of his sexuality, has spoken of his relief after being given a reprieve.

Kenneth Macharia, a member of Bristol Bisons, a gay and inclusive rugby club, told the Guardian he would have had to hide his sexuality had he been flown back to Kenya.

Macharia, 38, said he had been hugely touched by a campaign by his club-mates to halt the removal and amazed that tens of thousands of people had signed a petition calling for him to be allowed to stay in the UK.

Speaking from Colnbrook immigration centre near Heathrow airport as he waited to be released, Macharia said he had feared he was about to be put on a plane back to Kenya.

He said: “I was worried, frustrated, disappointed and not really thinking clearly. I was trying to concentrate on happy thoughts and meditation when I was in the cell. I was trying to think of nice things but it really wasn’t working.”

Macharia said he would have to hide his sexuality if he were returned to Kenya. “I’d be forced to pretend I’m straight. I would have to go back into the closet. It would be disappointing to pretend to be something I’m not. It would mean living alone, never being in a relationship, never having a partner.”

Macharia arrived in the UK in 2009 on a student visa. He was twice granted extensions of his leave to remain, first as a student, then as a highly skilled migrant. He is a mechanical design engineer by profession.

In May 2016 he claimed asylum, arguing that he had a well-founded fear of persecution in Kenya because of his homosexuality. Gay sex is punishable by hefty jail sentences.

The Home Office accepts that this is the case – and the government warns British gay people visiting Kenya not to kiss or hold hands. But it argues that this falls short of persecution.

Macharia, 38, who lives in Glastonbury, Somerset, said this stance was “absurd”. He said: “We can’t really be gay in Kenya. People are very homophobic. Being caught by the police would be scary. There are also criminals who blackmail gay people.”

He joined the Bisons in 2015 and as well as playing he is also a match photographer and first-aider. He said: “The rugby club is my main social hub. Most of my friends are at the club. I spend a lot of my free time there. On training days I play with the team. But on match days I prefer being the photographer.”

Macharia said he feels at home and safe in Somerset. “The people in the UK are very friendly and warm. I used to cycle to work. There was a day my bike broke down and quite a few people stopped to help me.”

Since losing the right to work he has been volunteering for a charity that helps with refugees.

More than 70,000 people signed a petition calling for the removal to be halted and for Macharia to be granted asylum. “Thanks to all the support I’ve received I’m feeling more confident that I’ll be able to stay,” said Macharia. “I’m really touched by the support I’ve received. I owe them all a debt of gratitude.

Macharia’s mother, Jacinta Macharia, who lives in south Bristol, had also appealed for him to be allowed to stay. She said: “He is the only child I have in this country and has been driving me to and from work in various places because of my arthritis. I am a 69-year-old British citizen and will progressively depend on him for support as I grow older.”

The MP for Wells, James Heappey, confirmed that the removal notice for Macharia had been cancelled. He said: “There’s lots left to do, but he won’t be going anywhere for now.”