President Kenyatta made the call at burial ceremony of his Chief of Staff’s father/PSCU
MACHAKOS, Kenya, Mar 3 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on Kenyan leaders to be visionary so that they can contribute to building a strong and prosperous nation for present and future generations.
The President said the country needs leaders who are development conscious, who able to guide their communities to greater heights instead of concentrating on cheap politics.
“Our calling is the need to develop the whole country, we are not interested in politics. We finished politics last year, those who want to continue politicking should wait until 2022,” said the President.
The President was speaking at Machakos Girls High School when he joined mourners for the burial ceremony of Mzee Raphael Mwangangi Waita.
Mzee Waita was father to Nzioka Siwadie Waita, the Chief of Staff and head of the President’s Delivery Unit (PDU).
The President urged Kenyans to follow the example set by the older generation of leaders who had a sense of nationhood, patriotism and high integrity in steering the country and setting a strong development foundation.
“We have all heard about his life, we also need to emulate him. If we follow in his footsteps then I assure you we can achieve much more development as a country,” President Kenyatta said.
He said Mzee Waita did not look at tribe when marrying, like many others of his generation he transcended the cultural and ethnic barriers of their time and built strong bonds among different communities.
“All of us have heard what was said of him while in America, he was not a tribalist, when he saw a beautiful lady whom he could share his life with, he didn’t want to hear anything else. They married and lived in love raising a great family and lived together harmoniously. This is the Kenya we want,” said the President.
He paid a glowing tribute to Mzee Waita whose values and ethos of hard work, he said, are reflected by his children serving in various capacities both in public and private sectors.
“Although I didn’t know him personally, I have seen these virtues in his son whom I work with. All these issues they have talked about Mzee here, his integrity, respect for people, his discipline I can say without doubt, all that is true in the life of Nzioka,” said President Kenyatta.
“Integrity, discipline, love for the country are the hallmark of that young man and am sure the hallmark of the entire family,” he added.
He called on the family to continue in the same spirit of showing each other love and maintain the virtues and ethos of hard work as exemplified by the father.
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, his Makueni counterpart Kivutha Kibwana and the Machakos Town Member of Parliament thanked President Kenyatta for staying focused on the path of development.
“You have stood firm, focused on development and this is what enabled you to be re-elected to serve Kenyans,” said Governor Mutua.
He urged Kamba elders to guide the community to follow the right path just as Mzee Waita did so as benefit from development projects being initiated by the national government.
Makueni Governor Kibwana invited President Kenyatta to his county to help in initiating development projects, which would be of benefit to the residents.
“It is my prayer that the Kamba leaders would advise our community so as to follow the path of development progress, being experienced in other parts of the country,” said the Makueni Governor.
Machakos Town Member of Parliament Victor Munyaka eulogised Mzee Waita as a champion and hero of development whose legacy would continue to inspire many people for years to come.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma also spoke on behalf of Cabinet Secretaries.
Senior government officials including Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, Principal Secretaries and wananchi from all walks of life also attended the burial ceremony.
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