“There has been a wide disconnect between the people and the government, between people’s aspirations and the government’s attitude toward them.”īut while Kibaki initially waged a war on corruption, one of the nation’s biggest graft scandals was under his tenure. “Fellow Kenyans, I am inheriting a country which has been badly ravaged by years of misrule and ineptitude,” Kibaki said during his first inauguration as a stone-faced Moi sat nearby. After he won, he set the tone for the new era with a blunt rebuke of his predecessor. ![]() ![]() That group turned out to be his greatest asset, and helped propel him to power in 2002.ĭuring his presidential campaign, he pledged to tackle corruption, boost the economy and rebuild the nation. He helped galvanize a group of politicians and opposition parties disgruntled by Moi’s leadership. In the 1990s, Kibaki formed the Democratic Party, then considered the main opposition against the ruling KANU party – a monumental move in a country that had been served by a single party since independence. He later became vice president in the 1980s under Moi, but broke ties with him as his government became mired in corruption scandals and economic problems. Kibaki was Kenya’s finance minister through the 1970s under Jomo Kenyatta, the nation’s founding president. Gleeful Kenyans danced on the streets while others climbed trees and lamp posts to celebrate Kibaki’s win.Īfter decades of Moi’s autocratic rule, many described the scenes as reminiscent of the celebrations following Kenya’s independence from Britain in 1963. Moi ceded power in a peaceful ceremony rarely seen in many African nations at the time. When Kibaki was first elected in 2002, the outgoing president had ruled Kenya since 1978, and was forced by the constitution to step down. Kenya's then-President Mwai Kibaki delivers his speech during the national celebrations to mark the 49th Jamhuri Day, the day when Kenya gained independence, at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi December 12, 2012. “Kibaki was a quintessential patriot whose legacy of civic responsibility will continue to inspire generations of Kenyans long into our future,” Kenyatta said. ![]() Kenyatta paid tribute to Kibaki as “the gentleman of Kenyan politics” and recalled “his dignity, his diligence, candor, and concern for the well-being of all Kenyans.” Kibaki’s death was confirmed in a statement issued by Kenyatta, who said the country would observe a period of national mourning from Friday until his burial. ![]() He not only oversaw a new constitution that brought hope for change, he led Kenya during a period of robust economic growth and major infrastructure developments.īut he was also at the helm during the most violent election in the country’s history, when more than 1,200 people died in bloody ethnic battles after disputed 2007 polls. Kibaki, an economist and passionate golf player, left behind a complicated legacy when he stepped down after his second presidential term ended in 2013. His political career spanned decades, including serving as vice president to Daniel arap Moi, the man he replaced as president of the East African nation in 2002. Mwai Kibaki, one of the biggest names in Kenyan politics and the nation’s third president, has died, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced.
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