The great economist, political guru, family man and a staunch Catholic faithful Emilio Mwai Kibaki’s curtain fell on April 21, 2022.
He will be laid to rest in his home at Othaya tomorrow, a journey that will see him use the Thika Superhigh way one last time albeit in a military gun carrier.
Kibaki will go down in history as the president who steered the Kenyan economy to perform at excellence level.
His government tapped into experts who brought in trade skill, focused on building a self-reliant economy and created an investment friendly economy.
Born in November 15, 1931, Kibaki was a last born was not productive in the garden and his father decided to take him to school.
Kibaki was an academic master who excelled in his academics and was awarded scholarships from Uganda’s Makerere University where he studied Economics, History and Political Science to the London School of Economics from 1955 to 1958.
Kibaki, as a political green horn joined KANU to help Jaramogi Odinga Oginga formulate the party.
He then vied for the Donholm parliamentary seat and from then, Kibaki was in a political roller-coaster from appointments to be vice president, Minister of Health to mention but a few.
Kibaki unsuccessfully vied to be president twice in 1992 and 1997. He failed both times. His third attempt was in 2002, after being involved in a grisly road accident, Kibaki in a wheelchair with a broken leg and neck brace, he was sworn in as Kenya’s third president.
Kibaki’s regime will be remembered for free primary education. He will be remembered for legalised the Mau Mau movement, a move that paved way for the Mau Mau veterans to sue the British government for the atrocities perpetrated against them by the colonial government.
It was during his second term that Kenya went to a post-election violence at least 1,300 Kenyans were killed, thousands were displaced. It was after the blood bath event that the coalition government was formed. This made Raila Odinga the first prime minister.
He will be remembered for facilitating passage of the 2010 Constitution.
“His greatest moment was promulgation of the new Constitution… It was a very deep and emotional moment for him,” Kibaki’s son Jimmy once said.