NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr, 29 – Deputy president Willam Ruto has described former president Mwai Kibaki as the country’s greatest ever president.
During the funeral service of the country’s former president at the Nyayo National Stadium, which which was graced by several African Heads of State as well as dignitaries, Ruto said that Kibaki’s legacy will forever be etched on the minds of Kenyans.
“A distinguished public servant that rose through the ranks, both in the opposition and the government and of course the greatest president Kenya ever had,” said the DP who further observed that,” Kibaki and his history is the history of our country, he was part of the architect of our independence, part of the first government and made huge contributions, he was vice president to our second president,
Coming from a humble background, Ruto reminisced over Kibaki’s herding days as a young boy in Nthunguri village in Othaya, present-day Nyeri county, and his zeal for education that saw him also become a distinguished scholar and economist.
His rich legacy the DP said has definitely been cemented and will take more than just mere paragraphs or even chapters to fully tell his story and capture his achievements that have no doubt shaped Kenya over the last half a century he dedicated his life to the public service.
“In a quick three years, we have bid farewell to our second president in 2019 and to our third president now, it is a solemn, heavy moment but I take pride in the heritage that we have built as a nation, in respecting and honoring our leaders in office and protecting and caring for our leaders in retirement and in death,”
Ruto said that as a student of Kibaki, his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, and himself sought to emulate various lessons they had learned from the ‘gentleman of politics’ while introducing reforms to improve the country’s economy.
“He laid a firm foundation both in education, and infrastructure development and was the architect of our economy. He sowed the seeds and laid the foundation upon which president Uhuru Kenyatta built the expensive, extensive and elaborate infrastructure we see in our country today,” said Ruto.
The DP also took the moment to hint at his presidential ambitions and what he would do if elected president.
“I also see his shadow and influence in what is going to become of the fifth president of Kenya because I see the conversation around the economy which president Mwai Kibaki was its architect influencing the coming elections,”
Kibaki will be laid to rest at his Othaya home in Nyeri county on Saturday.
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