State to unveil 142 heroes during Mashujaa day celebrations

This Sunday, the government is set to unveil 142 heroes during this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations and plans to activate the National Heroes Fund at an advanced stage.

The Fund, which is currently inactive, was established in 2014 and was designed to offer financial assistance to heroes conferred by the state and their families.

Culture and Heritage Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir yesterday explained that her ministry was in the process of drafting regulations to operationalize the fund, further reiterating her commitment to ensuring that the heroes benefit from the same.

The PS also brought to the fore that the 142 heroes to be unveiled by President William Ruto on Sunday in Kwale were selected following an exhaustive vetting exercise. This year’s heroes are from 14 categories including sports, philanthropy, statesmanship and indigenous cultures. Last year, a total of 157 heroes were feted.

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“The nominees are people who have made various contributions and undertaken exemplary acts to change lives for the benefit of the society where they live. We will also be warding some heroes posthumously, “said the PS.

Bashir added that the Heroes Fund was geared towards ensuring that those feted by the President this weekend—and previously—received resources that would be impactful in their daily lives.  

“There is also a proposal that the heroes will be able to access national parks and museums for free. This is being discussed with other ministries and state departments to make it a reality,” she said.

 “Apart from the normal certificates and recognition, we owe it to our heroes to make the fund a reality and we are looking at activating the National Heroes Fund which should be able to support them and their families,” she added.

Some of the benefits that the heroes currently enjoy include receiving commendation certificates, medals, having statues and monuments erected in their honour as well as having books written in their glory.

According to the PS, the 142 names were subjected to a “robust” and “transparent” sieving exercise that saw every applicant given a fair opportunity.  

“Kenyans should know that members of the public, an organization, a group of persons or an institution can nominate suitable person(s) to be recommended for declaration as heroes,” she said.

“On receipt of the nomination, the Council evaluates the nomination in accordance to a criteria provided for in the First Schedule of the Kenya Heroes Act, No. 5 of 2014.The names of all proposed persons are then published in at least two newspapers of national circulation for members of the public to provide their representations.”

After this, she explained, a final list of names of persons confirmed as qualified to be declared as heroes is then forwarded to the President for declaration in the Kenya Gazette as one being a national hero.