Kibaki Cabinets book launched

The Kenya Year Book Editorial Board has launched the latest instalment of a series of books documenting the cabinets of former presidents, with the unveiling of the Kibaki Cabinets compilation.

 The book, containing well thought out profiles of individuals who served under the former head-of-state over his two-term presidency touch on both the known and the unknown facts of the individuals.

“This book beautifully covers Kenya’s history in an era where Kenya saw an unprecedented economic and social change,” President Uhuru Kenyatta, who also features in the book as a result of his stints in Kibaki’s cabinets says in the foreword.

“Kibaki was bold enough to re-imagine Kenya’s society to become one of Kenya’s giants…as the fourth president of Kenya, I can truly say I stand on the shoulders of great men – giants, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki, who set great legacies that we as a country continue to reap their benefits. Kenya’s Vision 2030, one of Kibaki’s legacies, continues to define our course as a nation,” President Kenyatta wrote.

Kenya Year Book Chief Executive Officer Edward Mwasi says the book will give Kenyans a sneak peek into the lives and the minds of those who helped President Kibaki actualize the vision he had for the country.

“This is not just for history but it will show us that different governments have different priorities and this book will show Kenyans what the priorities of former President Kibaki were,” Mwasi says.

For Mwasi, the cabinet profiles, including the previous collection on former President Moi’s cabinets provide an opportunity for sitting heads of state to learn from the success and failures of their predecessors to do better.

In the foreword, President Uhuru Kenyatta also said that the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board’s Cabinet series represents a compendium of history makers. A story of Kenya’s giants! This book captures the unique leadership that each of these men and women brought, now sketched in the chronicles of history.

“These great men and women were charged with interpreting and actualizing Kibaki’s vision for Kenya. This memoir captures this epoch. Every generation owes posterity the memoirs of its time. It is the duty of each generation, therefore, to capture and carefully chronicle key turning points that define a society’s sojourn,” said the president.

 He added that failing to document the journeys of heads of state would deny future generations crucial reference points that could, in turn, relegate future leaderships to dins of cyclic limps or false starts.

“I commend the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board for creating the Cabinet series and for upholding the tradition of chronicling profiles of persons who have had the privilege of serving Kenyans. Today we enjoy, the dividends that accrued from the sacrifices, sweat and determination of these great men and women whose profiles are now indelibly etched in our national history,” writes President Uhuru.

Although the books are state-sponsored, the board insists that the works contained in the books are a true representation of the individuals in the books.