Mboya memory lives on as his statue unveiled

On July 6, 1969, the sound of a gunshot rent the afternoon air in Nairobi. As the bullet penetrated its victim, it took with it the life of a dedicated father and an illustrious figure.

As his young family mourned the death of a father, a young Kenyan nation was also in tears, mourning the death of a hero.

More than four decades later, and after two regimes, the memory of Mr Thomas Joseph Mboya has finally been immortalised into Kenya’s psyche through the erection of a life-size statue in his honour.

Barely a few metres from where his life was cut short 42 years ago, President Kibaki on Wednesday officially unveiled the statue of the politician in Nairobi, describing him as a man dedicated to his causes and Kenya.

“Those who knew him the world over acknowledge his greatness and are not in doubt that this statue is befitting to a man of his character.

‘‘May God grant us the memory to forever remember him and those like him who helped chart a path for our country,” said the President.

Situated between Tom Mboya Street and Moi Avenue on a stretch of land that will be known as Tom Mboya Walk, the statue watches over the multitudes that will pass by daily.

Even though Mr Mboya has been honoured, if he were to miraculously resurrect and watch the world through the eyes of his statue, would he be proud of the strides taken by the nation that he and many more founded?

Nearby are numerous banks, pointing to an expanded economic space. Of late there has been an increase in interest rates and depreciation of the shilling.

As the first minister in charge of economic development and planning, he may have had a thing or two to say about this.

Further ahead he will spot banners and billboards advertising institutions of higher learning that are a link to an education system that has been criticised and praised in equal measure.

As a staunch believer of the power education has to change society, he might have had something to say about this too.

The issue was so dear to him that it led to the birth of the famous Airlift Africa Project that provided light at the end of the tunnel for bright impoverished African children.

But just below him, he would see thousands of Kenyans jostling for space, pursuing their dream of at least carving out a piece of the national cake for themselves and count themselves as patriots first and any other thing second.

“If he were here today, he would want us to be fiercely proud of being Kenyan and that we come from a glorious past, a past which we should use as lesson into a prosperous future,” Dr Susan Mboya Kidero said of her father.

However, even as the statue reminds Kenyans of her heroes and a gallant past, it will also cast a long shadow on a number of dark secrets she still keeps to herself.

This is so because the statue will be synonymous not only with Mboya’s illustrious life but also with his death and the unsolved assassination that befell him and others before and after him.

The Mboya statue is one among a number of projects that the government has undertaken to honour its heroes.

They include setting up museums for the Kapenguria Six, a statue for Mr Ronald Ngala that will soon have a corner of its own to watch over and a Mashujaa Square in Nairobi’s Uhuru Gardens that will be home to our heroes.

“As a government, we will pay tribute to those who show unwavering dedication to the nation in the best ways possible,” said Prime Minister Raila Odinga who also attended the unveiling ceremony.