Declare ‘Kibaki Day’ to celebrate Kenya’s best president

Former President Mwai Kibaki was outstanding and many miss him. It is good to thank him while he is still with us.

The astute economist was president from 2002 to 2013. In his December 30, 2002 inauguration speech, he cited unemployment, declining school enrolment and deterioration of the education sector, lack of access to basic and affordable health services, poor roads and other infrastructural network and growing insecurity as his focus.

His leadership style was that of low-profile personality despite being a highly intelligent and competent technocrat. He never dominated the news bulletins or engaged in populist sloganeering.

Kibaki’s presidency set itself the task of reviving the country after decades of stagnation. He oversaw many infrastructural projects. Prices of commodity dropped, making them affordable.

The most visible of all his projects is the Sh31 billion Thika Superhighway that was commissioned in November 2012.

But his government also implemented the Roads 2000 Programme, which improved more than 7,000 kilometres of rural roads, generated about 4.7 million people days of employment, trained 5,600 contractors and spent more than Sh1 billion in rural areas.

He launched the Nairobi Commuter Rail Services Project at Syokimau — the first railway extension and new railway station in more than 80 years — to provide intermodal transit services for motorists and easy access to Nairobi by passengers arriving by air at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and by road from Mombasa and Tanzania.

President Kibaki started the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Mombasa to Nairobi, which cost Sh340 billion. He further expanded Kisumu International Airport at Sh3 billion and built a new terminal at JKIA.

He commissioned the Olkaria 280 megawatt geothermal project to raise Kenya Electricity Generating Company’s (KenGen) capacity by 25 per cent.

Electricity connection increased to 2.11 million connections from 686,195 in 2003. In 2002, there were 10 energy centres.

These were increased to 15 by 2011. Installed capacity in 2011 was 1,534MW from 1,142MW in 2002.

The development saw gross domestic product (GDP) growth shoot from 0.6 per cent in 2002 to a five per cent high in 2011.

In January 2003, he introduced free primary education, drawing more than a million children to school, and had tuition fees waived for youth pastors.

Over 20 million Kenyans had access to financial services, mostly through the homegrown revolutionary mobile money solutions.

Expanded banking services increased access to credit by small and medium enterprises and individuals.

The Kibaki’s regime saw a decline in HIV/Aids. More than 500,000 patients were on antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) from 10,000. More than 20 million mosquito nets were distributed, reducing the spread of malaria.

For the 10 years, Kenyans were entertained by the witty President’s humorous speeches.

The government should honour Mr Kibaki by declaring December 30, the day he was first sworn in as president, a public holiday.