Mwai Kibaki: Kenya’s third president is dead
By: Rading Biko
Posted on Friday, April 22, 2022
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki died at the age of 90. His death was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday,22nd April.
"It is my sorrowful duty to announce to the nation the passing on of H.E. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, the Third President of the Republic of Kenya. H.E. Mwai Kibaki lived a dedicated life of public service. We salute a notable father figure in the chronicles of our Nation. A leader who strove so hard and accomplished so much for his country. A nation he so deeply cherished and served with commitment and an unbending will to improve the lives of our people," he said.
"As we mourn this immeasurable loss, we recall with eternal gratitude President Kibaki’s patriotic journey in service to his Country, which can be traced way back to Kenya's fight for liberation," he added.
Kenyatta ordered a mourning period to honour Kibaki, during which flags will be flown at half-mast. Born on November 15, 1931, Mwai Kibaki was the youngest of eight children of peasant farmers, Kibaki Githinji and Teresia Wanjiku. He spent a lifetime in public service.
He served as president of Kenya – the third after independence – from 2002 to 2013, a critical period in Kenya’s transition from a one-party state to democracy. The late also served as the fourth vice-president (1978 to 1988) under President Daniel Arap Moi.
Burial date to be announced later
While addressing the nation, President Kenyatta said the late President will be accorded a State funeral with full Military Honors and Protocols being rendered and observed.
“The President, the Deputy President, the Chief Justice, Cabinet Secretaries, the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate, Kenya diplomats abroad and whomsoever else is so authorized by law, shall not fly the national flag on their official motorcade from today until sunset on the day of Kibaki’s internment,” said Kenyatta.
Family
The late President married Lucy Muthoni in 1962 and has four children; One daughter Judy, and three sons, Jimmy, Tony and David.
Kibaki’s Political Career
The late Kibaki joined the National Assembly in 1963 as a Member of Parliament for Donholm, which now is Makadara Constituency.
He shifted his political base from the capital city to his rural home in Othaya, Nyeri County in 1974, where he was elected and served as MP up to 2013.
In 1963, Kibaki was appointed by the late first President Jomo Kenyatta as Permanent Secretary for the Treasury and in 1966 got appointed Assistant Minister of Finance and chairman of the Economic Planning Commission.
He later became Cabinet Minister of Commerce and Industry and in 1969 became Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
Kibaki also served as the vice president for ten years (1978 to 1988) under the late President Daniel Arap Moi, who died in February 2020.
He left the position after falling out with Moi and became an opposition Member of Parliament against Moi from 1992 to 2002 when he was elected the third President after two unsuccessful attempts (1992 and 1997).
Kenya reintroduce multiparty politics in 1991, he quit the Kenya African National Union(KANU) and started the Democratic Party(DP).
He will be elected president in December 2002 on a grand coalition ticket where he served as the third President for ten years (2002-2013).
Kibaki’s achievements
The late president is credited for some enormous economic reforms.
Economic
The revival of the economy from decades of mismanagement came to an end during Kibaki’s first term. The country’s GDP growth rate rose from 0.6 per cent when he took over to 7 per cent at the end of his term.
2010 Constitutional Reforms
Kibaki's most significant contribution to Kenyan democracy was the 2010 Constitutional reforms. The new constitution allows for substantial institutional checks and ensures basic rights.
Infrastructural Development
Infrastructural development especially road construction, Thika Superhighway, 44.5 km which links Nairobi to Thika, Kiambu County.
Free Primary Education
The late president during his tenure introduced Free Primary Education where an estimated 1 million children enrolled in school who would otherwise not have been able to afford to do so.
