Kenya’s great moments of joy, pride and loyalty

By CAROLINE WAHOME

Three days after marking Mashujaa Day, we are in a celebratory mood. Caroline Wahome looks at ten moments, in no particular order, when our hearts have glowed and purred with joy and pride. Of course, there are many more moments that have brought us tears of joy as a nation.

It’s Independence Day!

What a good feeling it was to be Kenyan on December 12, 1963! After years of uncertainty, war and cries around the country, our independence had come. That Thursday, thousands of people gathered at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, to witness a remarkable ceremony. This was the day that the rule of the minority would end. There were about 55,000 settlers in the country at the time, against the black population estimated at just over eight million.

People travelled from all parts of Kenya to witness the moment they had been waiting for. There were many expectations for a new, free country. Around the nation, people stayed up after nightfall, waiting for the change-over at midnight. They dreamt big.

Then, on the hour, the Union Jack came down slowly. As it hit the ground, the black, white, red and green flag rose up the mast. How beautiful it was! Black for us, white for peace, red for the blood we shed and green for our wonderful country. The crowd went wild, cheering, hugging, yelling. Shortly after, the heavens opened in a gentle rain that blessed the generations to come. In other parts of Kenya, people danced the night away. Kenya was free! We celebrate this day as Jamhuri Day.

Kenya is born again

On August 27, 2010, Kenya was born again. A new constitution that dramatically expanded civil freedoms, improved accountability and gave the promise of a new future came into force. Kenyans had overwhelmingly voted for it on August 4. After almost five decades, the country was experiencing a rebirth. Years before, many had died, killed by government agents or hired goons, as they fought for the return of the Kenya dreamt of by our forefathers.

“Today is a great day for Kenya,” former President Mwai Kibaki said at Uhuru Park, where he led a grand ceremony to mark the promulgation of the new constitution. “I salute all Kenyan citizens wherever they are. I feel honoured to be your president at this moment because this is the most important day in the history of our nation since independence.”

Olympic Gold comes home

In the 1950s and 1960s, Africans were looked down upon in world sports. Some commentators, including major Western newspapers, even said we were not ready to compete with whites. That was until the likes of Nyandika Maiyoro, a Kenyan who even ran barefoot, proved them wrong. But it was in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City that Kenya’s star really shone; when the country won its first Olympic gold. The 10,000m race favourite, Kipchoge Keino, developed stomach cramps and collapsed during the race. It was his compatriot, Naftali Temo, who suddenly surged forward to snatch the gold. Spectators went wild. Those in the Kenyan camp kissed and hugged. Kenya was on top of the world! In those days, news spread really slowly. But it did get home and President Jomo Kenyatta called to congratulate the team. When they returned home, huge crowds turned up to welcome them at the Embakasi Airport. They marched along city streets and straight into State House to meet Kenyatta. Since then, Kenyans have conquered the world in many competitions.

Seventh Wonder of the World

The seventh wonder of the world is right here in Kenya. On November 17, 2006, a panel of experts and a major American television channel, ABC, named the great migration of wildebeest in the Maasai Mara the seventh wonder of the world. The announcement was unprecedented and affirmed Kenya’s place as one of the most beautiful and scenic countries.

The spectacle involves about 1.3 million wildebeest charging forward in a frenzy to cross plains and rivers in an annual ritual. Also joining the great exodus are gazelles and some 200,000 zebras. It is the biggest migration of animals on land; a true wonder of nature.

Hail the great Kenyan girl

On October 8, 2004, an international call came through to a mobile phone in the sleepy village of Ihururu, Nyeri.

“My God, my God!” exclaimed the dark-skinned, elegant woman who picked the call. Wangari Maathai was at the time distributing food to needy villagers. On the other end of the line, calling from Oslo, Norway, was the director of the Nobel Institute informing her she had won that year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

It was the first time an African woman was winning the prize. It was the first time it was coming to Kenya. Wow! The first people to get the news were the villagers, whom she told that she had just won lots of money. Before the official announcement 20 minutes later, the news had spread around the world. Kenya was proud of her daughter, who had grown up from a simple village girl to a world-renowned environmentalist. She received the prize two months later. Sadly, Maathai died of cancer in 2011.  

Black rule starts

In 1963, Nairobi was a town with a small population. Yet, on June 1, more than 20,000 people gathered to witness a key moment in Kenya’s quest for independence. The ceremony was a hand-over between the colonial government and Jomo Kenyatta, who was becoming the new prime minister. The previous month, excited crowds had danced and run through rain-drenched streets to celebrate Kenyatta’s election and Kanu’s triumph. The ceremony was held outside Harambee House along Coronation Second Avenue, later renamed Harambee Avenue. Harambee House then housed the Ministry of Works offices.

Kenyatta was sworn in as prime minister, preparing the country for independence six months later. We mark this day when Kenya attained internal self-rule every June 1, which is called Madaraka Day.

Moi hands over power in peace

In the decades since they attained self-rule, African countries have built quite a dirty reputation for bloody coups, tribal slaughter and civil war. But in 2002, Kenyans held their heads high when they proved that Africa will not always walk that path. After 24 years in power, President Daniel arap Moi handed over to Mwai Kibaki after a General Election that was judged to have been free and fair. Thousands of people turned up to welcome Kibaki and bid Moi farewell at Uhuru Park on December 30.

“I feel extremely happy to address you today,” Kibaki said. “I am overwhelmed by your love. I am emboldened by your support and enthusiasm. I am thrilled by your sense of dedication and commitment to this country.”

He added: “You have renewed my hope and strengthened my belief in the greatness of this country.” Many people felt that way, too.

In 1978, Kenya had experienced another peaceful transition when Moi became president after Jomo Kenyatta’s sudden death.

Kenya’s son becomes US president

Ask some people and they will tell you US President Barack Obama is Kenyan. On November 4, 2008, Obama, the son of a Kenyan who went to the US to study was elected the first black president of the most powerful nation on earth. Kenyans waited overnight for the election results. When they were announced, many in Kenya could not hide the joy. The world, too, celebrated, as he was seen as a symbol of a new, more tolerant era.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America,” he told a victory rally in Chicago the following morning. Many people felt change had come to the world, too, thanks to love brewed in a Kenyan heart.

Barack Obama Sr met Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, in 1960. He was on a scholarship programme. Little Obama was born the following year.

Al-Shabaab is whipped

Al-Shabaab, a terrorist outfit linked to global terror organisation Al-Qaeda, had been testing Kenya’s patience for quite some time. When kidnappings by the Somalia militia escalated in 2011, President Kibaki, then the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, ordered the Kenya Defence Forces to pursue the militants inside Somalia. Operation Linda Nchi – Protect the Nation – was officially underway. By September of the following year, Kenya’s forces aided by Somalia’s military had wrestled Kismayu from Al-Shabaab. The port city, a stronghold of the militants, was one of its key source of funding. How proud many felt! Our soldiers had lived up to their calling of defending the nation. Today, analysts say although the militants carried out an attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall earlier this month, Al-Shabaab was significantly weakened by Kenya’s onslaught. 

The national anthem and flag

Every time the national anthem plays or the flag goes up, something stirs in our hearts. It is tempting to lay our hands on our chests and say, “God Bless Kenya.” Whether it is at the local chief’s camp or when Kenya’s athletes are scooping trophies at world events, it is always a moment to feel patriotic and proud to be Kenyan.