Kenyans head to Uhuru Gardens to mark Jamhuri Day [Photos]

Kenyans at the Uhuru Gardens to mark Jamhuri Day. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Kenyans will be expectant as President Uhuru Kenyatta officiates his ninth and final Jamhuri Day celebrations today.

Over the years, he has made a number of pledges to Kenyans and today they will be taking stock of his achievements since he came to power in 2013.

Attendees are allocated Covid-19 masks as they enter Uhuru Gardens. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

In his first term in office, the country was full of hope after he promised employment opportunities, improved healthcare services, double digital economic growth and improved security.

Donning matching suits with his deputy, William Ruto, they often referred to each other as “My friend” or “My Brother William or Uhuru” and inspired the eight million-odd people who had voted for them that they were inseparable.

Residents entering Uhuru Gardens receive newspapers at the entrance. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

During Uhuru’s first Jamhuri Day celebrations that coincided with the country’s 50th independence anniversary, Kasarani Sports Centre was full to capacity and over 10 heads of State attended to witness the new president lead the celebrations.

The president committed to completing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Greenfields Terminal to enhance Kenya’s and the Eastern Africa region’s competitiveness.

Some of the entertainers at the Uhuru Gardens on December 12, 2021. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

“They will also provide opportunities for employment to our youth, during construction and after completion. To further deepen our infrastructure development, my government, in collaboration with our neighbours, has committed to undertake the Lamu Port South Sudan and Ethiopia Transit (LAPSSET) project, which will open a second major corridor of development in this region,” Uhuru promised.

In 2017, the Madaraka Express (SGR) roared to life.

He also pledged to create a united and prosperous nation devoid of ethnic or parochial divisions and went on to ask his rival Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka that although Opposition was part and parcel of a strong democracy, it was not hatred.