Kibaki death not end of my relationship with you, Uhuru tells ex-president's family

President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing mourners at the Othaya Approved School in Nyeri County on April 30, 2022 during Mwai Kibaki’s burial mass. [Standard]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured Mwai Kibaki’s family of his unending support.

The president spoke on Saturday, April 30 at Othaya, Nyeri County during the burial mass of the late Kibaki.

Kenyatta said Kibaki’s death does not mark the end of his relationship with the former president’s family.

“I want to assure the family of Mwai Kibaki that the journey that I walked with the former president has not ended,” he said at the Othaya Approved School, where the burial mass was held.

“Kibaki’s death does not mean that my friendship with the family ends. To the members of Kibaki family, you are not standing alone. We shall continue being together,” he said.

The Head of State also took the opportunity to urge Kenyans to emulate Kibaki’s deeds, which attracted praise from far and wide.

“Let us not just say Kibaki was a good man, let us accompany the words with actions by emulating him,” said Kenyatta.

In his speech, the president also thanked the people of Othaya and Nyeri County at large for “giving us a good man to serve as president”.

After his speech, Kibaki’s coffin was placed on the funeral convoy and taken to his Kanyange Village home in Othaya, where the late former Head of State was accorded full military honours before being buried.

In his speech at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Thursday, April 29, Kibaki’s son, Jimmy, said the deceased was “very, very fond of Uhuru Kenyatta”.

Likening the two presidents’ relationship to that of a father and son, Jimmy said Kibaki would listen to Uhuru keenly whenever he’d be covered on television.

“Your Excellency [President Uhuru Kenyatta], those of us who understand the dynamics between President Kibaki and you, we know that he was very, very fond of you,” said Jimmy during Kibaki’s State Funeral service.

“In fact, the relationship he had with you was like that of a father and a son.

“There were times I’d watch the evening news on TV with him, at around 7 o’clock, and during the news bulletin, he’d start dozing off, especially when some politicians would speak during coverage.

“And, he’d even turn to me, and tell me: ‘Jimmy, you know this fellow has been speaking for ten minutes, and there’s nothing he has told us’, and he’d go back to dozing.

“But, when you [Uhuru Kenyatta] would come on the screen, he would sit upright and listen very keenly, and after your news item ends, he would turn to me and say ‘[he’s a] good man’, or ‘[he’s a] good fellow’.

“For those of us who knew President Mwai Kibaki well, we knew when he said something like that, it was the ultimate praise. He could not say more than that.”