President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday led his nation in commemorating the 41st anniversary and last public remembrance since the death of Kenya’s first President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1978.
Kenyatta laid a wreath at the Jomo Kenyatta Mausoleum next to parliament buildings in Nairobi before attending the memorial mass where he announced that this year’s ceremony will be the last public commemoration of Mzee Kenyatta’s death.
He said the decision was reached after consultations with the larger Kenyatta family.
He gave no reason why the family decided to halt the ceremony.
He encouraged all Kenyans to remember the founding fathers of the nation by taking actions in line with the dreams and aspirations those leaders had for the country.
“Make a difference in the life of at least one person and let your actions help move our nation forward,” the President said.
Born in 1894, Jomo Kenyatta was an anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to 1978 when he died in office.
Kenyatta who is still revered in Kenya, especially in his birth place, Central region was in 1952 arrested together with other six freedom fighters and charged with masterminding the dreaded Mau Mau uprising against the British.
Kenyatta was later appointed President of the Kenya African National Unity (KANU) and led the party to victory in the 1963 general election.
He passed away in 22 August 1978 at State House, Mombasa at the age of 84.
Former President Daniel Arap Moi later took over and ruled Kenya for 24 years before retiring in 2002.
JK/as/APA