Uhuru presides over last Jamhuri Day
By Jeremiah Kiplagat
President Uhuru Kenyatta will this Sunday to preside over his last Jamhuri Day celebrations before he hands over the reins power after the August 2022 General Election.
Yesterday, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho led the National Celebrations Committee on a tour of the Uhuru Garden Stadium where the celebrations will be held to inspect the progress made ahead of the event.
He did not address the press but the Celebrations Committee had earlier stated that there will be no parallel events in other parts of the country owing to the Covid-19 situation.
It will be the first time the celebrations will be held at the newly refurbished grounds on Lang’ata Road.
The President has so far graced all the Jamhuri Day celebrations, observed every December 12, since 2013.
He has used the occasion to rally Kenyans to stay together and fight against vices bedeviling the country.
Holiday gazetted
Yesterday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i gazetted Monday, December 13 as a holiday given that Jamhuri Day falls on Sunday.
“In line with the provisions of section 2 and 4 of the Public Holidays Act, it is hereby confirmed that December 13 will be a public holiday, by dint of Jamhuri Day falling on Sunday December 12,” wrote Matiang’i.
“The day bears profound historical significance as it marks the attainment of Kenya’s independence and the birth of the Republic. All citizens are encouraged to honour and celebrate this day in a manner that promotes unity, national cohesion and economic progress in the country,” he added.
Jamhuri Day is one of only three recognised by the Constitution. The other two are Madaraka (June 1) in remembrance of the day the country attained independence on the same day in 1963 and Mashujaa (October 20) to celebrate the country’s founders and the present day heroes.
Only one celebration
Unlike the two whose celebrations have been evolved to the counties, the day has always been celebrated in Nairobi.
Last year, during the 57th Jamhuri Day, the President asked Kenyans to always work for the good of the nation.
“The day we hoisted our independence flag 57 years ago, we are called upon to reflect on the extent to which we have delivered on the dreams and aspirations of our Founding Fathers.
They taught us that our nation is not a finished work; it will always be a work in progress. And our nationhood is not a static idea frozen in time. It is an evolving project that needs constant re-engineering. Every so often, we are called to re-imagine it and adjust it to a higher ideal,” he said.
Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta was in Tanzania to attend the country’s 60th independence celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Dar es Salaam.
