Ex-President Mwai Kibaki Of Kenya Dies

Africa | Kenya April 22, 2022

Ex-President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya is dead. He died on April 21, 2022, at the age of 90, according to some media reports.

Mr Mwai Kibaki was the third president after the country gained independence from Britain in 1963, and the first opposition president after the country ditched one party political system in late 1991 and adopted multi-party-political system.

Mr Mwai Kibaki ruled the East African nation from 2002 to 2013. He has been praised for, among others:

1) Introducing free universal primary education

2) Delivering a new Constitution that reduced presidential powers and strengthened the country's institutions

However, Mr Mwai Kibaki’s political reputation is said to have been tainted by the bloody violence that followed the country’s 2007 presidential election in which he was seeking re-election for a second and last term in office. The post-election violence that claimed 1200 deaths erupted after his rival Raila Odinga refused to concede defeat citing electoral fraud. After some mediation, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga in 2008 agreed a power sharing deal that entailed formation of coalition government with the former as president and latter as prime minister.

Also, tainting Mr Kibaki’s political reputation to certain extent, is said to be his inability to eradicate chronic corruption in the country’s public sector, despite his distaste of the malaise.

Notwithstanding, Mwai Kibaki will be remembered as one of the most respected, unifying, and intellectually sophisticated leaders in Africa. _____________________________ © 2015 - 2022 Africauptodate. All Rights Reserved