NYERI, Kenya, Apr 22 – Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga has formed a six-member committee to help in organizing the burial of former president Mwai kibaki at his rural home in Othaya.
Addressing the press in his office, Kahiga said that the team which will be headed by administrator and current county secretary Benjamin Gachiochio will coordinate with the national government in ensuring Kibaki’s smooth burial.
Kahiga described Kibaki as a political icon having been the longest serving Member of Parliament in his Othaya constituency in Nyeri.
“For us in the county of Nyeri, Kibaki’s death is a big loss to us, he has been our mentor in politics having steered this county to great economic liberation after inheriting a ruined economy. We will put everything in our county at his disposal for his burial to be a success,” Kahiga said.
Kahiga who was accompanied by his cabinet described Kibaki as the best ever president the country has ever had saying that he restored hope to the entire nation and gifted Kenyans with an economy devoid of internal and external borrowing.
“As a county we are sad for the demise of Kibaki his easy demeanor and humor captured the imagination of many Kenyans we will remember him as a president who turned around our economy to the envy of many in Africa since he was an economist per excellence,” he said.
His former government spokesperson and now an executive secretary in Kahiga administration Muthui kariuki described him as a humorous person who was firm when it came to service delivery.
“As his former spokesperson, I remember him as person who could give you a job and wait for you to deliver and if you didn’t, he was firm and no-nonsense person, we had no choice but to deliver to wananchi ” said Kariuki.
At his rural home in Othaya, residents described him as their best ever president who ensured they got services on time.
“As Othaya residents we are sad, if you look around you can see for yourself as residents we owe our development to him, we have schools, hospitals, roads we will always be indebted to him if it was for his wise leadership Othaya could not be where it is now ” said Robert Kimata a resident there.
In Nyeri county many leaders described Kibaki as a political icon who was their mentor even after retiring from presidency.
He is credited with being the unifying political factor in the county with many projects to his credit.
The projects included the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Othaya annex, Kimathi and Karatina universities which were given charter during his tenure and the Marua Sagana dual carriage which was funded by African Development Bank (ADB) and now under construction.
In his heydays in politics, Kibaki controlled Nyeri, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Embu, Meru, Nyandarua and Laikipia counties with politicians opposed to his ideologies always losing in general elections.
His party of choice was the Democratic Party which transformed to NARC and later took him to State House and there after the Party of National Unity (PNU) which he used to defend his seat and finally exited the political scene after a ten-year term.
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