Former President Uhuru Kenyatta
Kenya’s former president used his birthday to deliver a message of peace and national cohesion as the country navigates a politically charged period ahead of the 2027 elections.
By Grace Wanja
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday marked his 65th birthday with a call for national unity, urging Kenyans to set aside their differences and embrace peace as the country heads into an increasingly competitive political season.
Speaking during a birthday interview with Milele and Kameme FM radio stations, Kenyatta — who was born on 26 October 1961 and served as Kenya’s fourth president from 2013 to 2022 — delivered a message centred on collective responsibility and peaceful coexistence. “This country belongs to us, and we will move it forward together. That is what I believe, and I continue to believe,” he said.
The retired president, who has maintained a relatively measured public profile since leaving office four years ago, used the platform to offer prayers for the country and appeal directly to citizens across political and ethnic divides. “I pray for all of you, and I pray for our country, that we may have peace and unity. Let us love one another,” Kenyatta said.
The timing of the message carries weight. Kenya is fourteen months from a general election that is already generating significant political heat, with opposition realignments accelerating, coalition negotiations intensifying, and the country’s unresolved economic grievances providing combustible material for those willing to exploit them. In that context, a call for unity from a former president who commanded two electoral mandates and retains considerable influence within the Mount Kenya political community is neither incidental nor purely ceremonial.
Kenyatta’s two terms in office were defined by both ambitious infrastructure development and significant political turbulence, including a disputed 2017 election, a Supreme Court-ordered rerun, and the celebrated but short-lived handshake with then opposition leader Raila Odinga that reshaped Kenyan politics for half a decade. Since leaving office, he has stepped back from the frontline of political activity, though his influence over the Mount Kenya vote bloc — now being actively courted by his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua and others — remains a factor that no serious political analyst discounts.
His birthday message made no reference to the current political landscape, the coalition negotiations under way, or his own political future. That restraint is itself a choice. In Kenya, silence from influential figures is rarely neutral, and a former president who calls for unity without specifying where the divisions lie leaves considerable room for interpretation.
What the message does establish, unambiguously, is that Kenyatta remains engaged with the country’s direction and willing to use whatever platform is available to him to shape its tone. Whether that engagement deepens as the 2027 election approaches — and in whose favour — is a question that Kenya’s political class is already quietly debating.
At 65, Uhuru Kenyatta is younger than many of the world’s most consequential political figures. His next chapter remains unwritten.
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Mt Kenya Times ePAPER October 27, 2026
- Sifuna draws hope from Serbia and Brazil as Kenya’s 2027 race heats up
- Kenya establishes international crimes division: Justice delayed, but will it be delivered?
- World marathon champion Jepchirchir suspended in fresh blow to Kenya’s clean sport drive
- Manchester United in crisis as Bournemouth humiliate Carrick’s side 3-0
About the Author
