Former President Mwai Kibaki was rushed to Nairobi hospital on Thursday and immediately admitted. The former president was seriously sick forcing his doctors to recommend for around the clock monitoring for his deteriorating health. Unfortunately, the former president made his last breath on Friday morning at Nairobi Hospital.
Uhuru Kenyatta declared a mourning period until Mr Kibaki’s burial, with flags flying at half-mast. He will be given a state funeral with full military honours, President Kenyatta said.
Kibaki worked in Kenyatta and Moi governments before becoming the 3rd president of Kenya. He was a minister of finance in Kenyatta regime and became the vice president in Moi government. Kibaki resigned from Kanu and joined the opposition in the 90s forming his own party.
Mwai Kibaki formed Democratic party through which he unsuccessfully vied for presidency, before winning the presidency under the NARC Coalition that facilitated him to trounce the current President, who by then was vying on a Kanu ticket. President Kibaki became the 3rd president in 2002, liberating Kenyans from Moi’s autocratic regime.
Kibaki tirelessly worked hard to revamp the country’s economic and bestowed hope on Kenyans after being ruled by former president Moi for 24 years since 1978. Under Moi rule, the economy was deplorable, and the leadership was autocratic. But Kibaki an economist strictly implemented sound economic policies, propelling development and the growth of the economy, which was in shambles during Moi regime.
The late president Kibaki foresaw the country that was recuperating from hopelessness among Kenyans, who had undergone tough economic times and police brutality. President Kibaki with his economy skills and resilience drew an upward graph on the economy and development of the country.
Kibaki focused on infrastructure, healthcare, unemployment, and education sectors. He facilitated free primary and affordable secondary school education. He also elevated most colleges and institutions into universities, increasing the number of universities in the country.
Police brutality also went down as well as insecurity during his leadership. The rate of corruption in the police force went down in his tenure. The upper hand that police officers had on the public was cut down, leaving the police with no option but to respect the public. The president also connected many homes with electricity.
When the the terrorist group al-Shabaab made several attacks on Kenyan soil, he sent the KDF to Somalia to hunt them down. The terrorists attacks went down during his regime after the military went after the group in Somalia.
On the flip side of the coin, President Kibaki had also a share of shortcomings in his leadership. The 2007 post-election violence (PEV) was a setback in his leadership. The hotly contested presidential election between Kibaki and Raila led to the PEV, resulting to 1000 people killed and 600,000 people internally displaced. The agreement to form a coalition government stopped the post-election violence.
The rigged election could have been avoided if his inner circle was not greedy for power. President Kibaki was willing to relinquish power to Raila Odinga but the inner circle refused and gave him only one option; to be sworn in for his second term. However, the coalition government made tremendous achievements including the inauguration of the 2010 constitution:
The Anglo-leasing mega corruption scandal also rocked his government. The scandal caused his leadership a setback in his efforts to fight corruption. Apparently, the president had warned his leadership team, that each individual will carry his/her cross on their actions. He was not ready to protect corrupt individuals.
The grand coalition government gave way to a new constitution which has brought tremendous development close to people all over the country. Kibaki will always be remembered for his landmark achievements during his regime.
Kenyans are yet to witness a president who will beat his development record. There is no chance that failures in his leadership can supersede his development record. May the former president Kibaki RIP.