This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday said that leadership is not about where one is born, but rather about possessing the right qualities of leadership. Speaking during a memorial service to commemorate 41 years since the country's founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died, Uhuru said it is not about one's background that matters.
“You know, I don’t know if I will be told that I am speaking politics, but I am not, I promise. I have no such intention, but you know when you hear people out there, you know, they talk, ‘Oh, this person, dynasty this, oh dynasty this’…it is not about that," he said.
Uhuru called for "decent" politics in an apparent rebuke of acrimony that has been building up in the lead up to the 2022 General Election. He noted that remembrance of Mzee Jomo did not require a congregation and thanked his predecessors former presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki who commemorated the anniversary each year without fail as well as the Catholic Church for hosting the celebrations at the Holy Family Basilica.
Yesterday’s celebration, began with the laying of wreaths at Parliament Buildings and thereafter a service. Generations of the larger Kenyatta family also thronged the church where the celebration was held, led by the matriarch, Mama Ngina Kenyatta. President Uhuru's brother Muhoho Kenyatta, speaking on behalf of the family, also mentioned that it was important to remember and honour other heroes who were instrumental in fighting for independence and building the country, including the late Tom Mboya.
President Uhuru also announced that yesterday's celebration served as the last public commemoration of the death of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, a ceremony that has been held each year for the past 41 years.
