President Uhuru Kenyatta has eulogised the late President Mwai Kibaki as a man, a leader and a visionary who was based on solid policies and selflessness.
Speaking during Kibaki’s State funeral service at Nyayo Stadium, Kenyatta claimed that Kibaki’s better thinking and leadership was a service not a position and that he was willing to serve the country in any capacity that the people requested.
“How do you measure a man who was sworn in as the President of Kenya while in a wheelchair? How do you measure a man who suffered ill health during his first Presidential year?” he posed.
According to Kenyatta, Kibaki’s leadership came at the darkest hour the country’s history as a nation during the post-election violence of the year 2007.
“President Kibaki was therefore one to turn misfortune into positive change. Kibaki the visionary was persuaded by Mzee Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to quit a well-paying job as a lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda, and take up a job that offered nothing but a promise, at the age of 29,” he said.
Kenyatta further described Kibaki as a man of faith, a man of family, a man of honour and a man who always put Kenya first.
“He knew that a leader who does not lead himself will be led by his obstacles rather than his vision,” he said.
Further, the Head of State said that Kibaki did not give in to the pressure of the crowds and will be driven to make popular choices that delight the crowds.
“By all means Kibaki was a modest man and did not believe in loud shouting, this is because he found virtue and joy by doing ordinary things that fulfilled his promise,” he said.