The late Mwai Kibaki
A memorial luncheon for former President Mwai Kibaki is scheduled to take place on Friday.
The ceremony is being prepared by his family and the political party he founded; Democratic Party of Kenya (DP).
Yesterday, DP Secretary General Dr Jacob Haji confirmed that all was set for the special ceremony.
He said the former President’s family and his party had invited dozens of leaders from all walks of life.
“We are set to host the guests during the second memorial lecture of our party’s founder,” Dr Haji said.
He explained that the memorial lecturer would include discussions featuring key personalities. They include; Prof. Kivutha Kibwana, U.N Resident Coordinator – Stephen Jackson, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Prof. Peter Kagwanja and Prof Michael Chege.
The late Kibaki died on April 22, 2022, bringing to three, the number of years that has passed since then.
Dr Haji explained that it is towards the second anniversary last year that a group of eminent Kenyans launched the Mwai Kibaki Annual Memorial Lecture to keep the memory and ideas of this African icon alive.
The Inaugural Lecture was organized by a multi-stakeholder Committee comprising of the Democratic Foundation (DF)-Kenya, the Democratic Party, independent experts, leaders and the Family of the President.
The event, billed as “Annual Lecture & Dinner,” was held at Safari Park Hotel on April 20, 2024 under the theme: “Mwai Kibaki: Celebrating the Legacy of a Pan-Africa Icon.”
From this event has emerged an annual lecture series, designed to explore the consequential leadership and legacy of President Kibaki and why it matters for Kenya, Africa and the world today.
The 2nd edition of the Mwai Kibaki Memorial Lecture series is dubbed; “Kibaki Memorial Lecture & Luncheon” and will take place at Serena Hotel under the theme: A Resilient Nation: The Mwai Kibaki Legacy.
The 2nd Lecture focus on President Kibaki’s legacy on development, focusing on the his domestic and foreign policy, strategies and actions that undergirded his success as well as challenges.
The lecture will unfold in three parts, starting with a panel of experts who will explore Kibaki’s legacy along four topics as follows: Political Leadership and Development: Focus is on political reforms, which involve changing laws, policies, and structures to improve on overall governance as critical ingredients of development. How reforms impacted development, including enhancing democracy, reducing corruption, and increasing citizen participation to create a more equitable and prosperous future based on economic inequality and good governance.
Constitutionalism, the rule of law, and development: How constitutionalism ensured government power is limited by the supreme law, the rule of law ensured that everyone is subject to and protected by that law, and how these principles served in fostering sustainable and equitable development.
Trade, Markets and Development: How trade and open markets impacted economic growth and development, including fostering job creation, reducing poverty, increasing economic opportunities for all, enable access to a wider range of goods and services, and promoted economic resilience and diversification.
Foreign Policy and Development: Focusing on foreign policy strategies, impact of development initiatives on foreign policy choices and development goals (promoting economic growth, addressing poverty, foreign debt, and fostering international cooperation).
Regional and global development Legacy: Focus is on the interconnected processes of economic, social, and environmental progress at both the regional and global levels, stressing the importance of understanding unique regional contexts and addressing global challenges collaboratively to underpin development and shared prosperity.
A Resilient Nation: The Mwai Kibaki Legacy
President Mwai Kibaki made Kenya great.
Without a doubt, the Third President of the Republic of Kenya is the country’s most consequential leader. Born on November 15, 1931, Kibaki grew to become a consummate intellectual, politician and statesman known for his incredible aptitude and intelligence, exceptional expertise and finesse, knowledge and mastery of Kenya’s political economy and development.
A graduate of Makerere University, Uganda and the London School of Economics, Kibaki left university teaching and joined politics as Executive Officer of the Kenya African National Union (KANU).
Kibaki was acclaimed as the gentleman of Kenyan politics, a consensus builder and a man of unmatched integrity who scaled the ranks of Kenyan politics as member of parliament, assistant Finance Minister (1963-1966), full Minister (1966-191), President Daniel Moi’s Vice-President (1978-1988), and the doyen of opposition politics (1992-2002).
Presciently, Kibaki was ranked by the 1974 issue of Time magazine as among the top 100 personalities around the world likely to become Head of State.
The day Kibaki was sworn as president on December 30, 2002, Kenya was euphoric, filled with optimism and felt like the entire nation was celebrating the country’s second independence.
As President, Kibaki put the country on the path to economic recovery, grow the economy from a low of 0.6 per cent December 2002 to 7 per cent before the infamous 2007/2008 post-election violence.
He gave Kenya its long-term development blueprint, known as Kenya Vision 2030, aims to transform the country into a newly industrialized, middle-income nation with a high quality of life for all citizens by 2030, focusing on economic, social, and political pillars.
Kibaki stepped down as President, brokering a peaceful transition on April 9, 2013. Kibaki gave Kenya its new people-centered constitution, widely hailed as one of the most progressive constitutions in Africa because of its comprehensive and liberal bill of rights.
He also bequeathed Kenya its first ever Foreign Policy document, with discernible strategies and actions to underpin Kenya’s interactions with other states, regional organizations and international entities on defense and security, economic partnerships and humanitarian assistance. He also gave the country one of Africa’s most independent judiciaries operating largely free from undue influence or control by the executive or legislative branches, with its hallmark as the Supreme Court of Kenya symbolizing the supremacy of the Constitution and the sovereignty of the people.
Kibaki was a quintessential patriot.
“Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed,” he famously said.
Dr Haji explained that this year’s memorial lecture had been brought forward since the day of his demise this year is close to the Easter holiday and most of those expected to attend may have other engagements.
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