MPs pay tribute to Kibaki as he leaves office

President Kibaki on Wednesday started winding down his presidency with a farewell address to Parliament.

He will be retiring after 50 years as an MP, first for the then Donholm Constituency in Nairobi, and later Othaya in Nyeri.

His address to MPs during a special parliamentary session was full of praise for his coalition partner, Mr Raila Odinga, for his support during difficult times. Mr Odinga did not attend the session.

Orange Democratic Movement secretary-general Anyang’ Nyong’o had earlier said that the PM had travelled out of the country.

President Kibaki also praised the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Kenneth Marende, for remaining non-partisan in his rulings on contentious issues.

He also praised Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, deputy premiers Uhuru Kenyatta and Musalia Mudavadi and MPs for passing reform laws.

His address was a first by a Kenyan President preparing to retire and a significant pointer that he was winding up his administration.

The tradition set by retired President Daniel arap Moi in 2002 to leave without controversy after the expiry of his constitutional mandate is one of the strengths of Kenyan democracy.

On Wednesday, MPs who spoke, praised the President’s development record, his contribution to opening up the democratic space and presiding over reforms.

In his speech, President Kibaki thanked the constituents of Othaya and the former Donholm constituencies for electing him to serve them in a career spanning 50 years.

The President made his last exit from the chamber at 6.25pm.

His last attendance of the House was some 100 minutes, 25 of which he used to speak about his life in the August House and interaction with the legislative arm of Government.

The rest of the time was used by MPs to pay glowing tribute to the retiring Head of State.

He wound up his speech with a presentation to the House of a souvenir, a book containing his speeches and contributions to Parliament.

Mr Kibaki described the Mr Marende as a man who has guided the House with wisdom, while remaining impartial.

He commended both the 9th and the 10th parliaments for their contribution to the country’s development efforts.

The President praised the 10th Parliament for supporting the work of the Grand Coalition Government by passing most of the legislation presented by the Executive, and in particular the annual budget without which the government could not perform any its duties.

Mr Kibaki said the outgoing Parliament will be remembered for the role it played in the constitutional review process that ended Kenya’s long struggle for a new Constitution.

“Your legislative and oversight achievements have earned you a place in our nation’s history,” he said, adding that the support of the House has enabled the Grand Coalition Government to serve Kenyans better over the last five years.

“Parliament has played an active role in the reform process. The implementation of the Constitution has radically changed our governance structures and led to significant reforms in the Judiciary and our electoral process,” he stated.

He said the House had performed its oversight role with distinction, noting that it has been a faithful watchdog on behalf of Kenyans.

He made a special note of the parliamentary committee system that he said, has been exceptionally active during the life of the current Parliament.

Account for their actions

“For the first time in Kenya’s history, Kenyans have watched members of the Executive as well as other institutions account for their actions before the people’s representatives,” he said.

He cited the oversight on expenditure role as having been particularly impressive with the Parliamentary Accounts and Parliamentary Investments Committees which have cleared the backlog that had accumulated from the past.

He challenged the next Parliament to carry on with the efforts of its predecessor, keeping the Executive accountable.

For the first time in 50 years, Mr Kibaki’s name will not appear on a ballot paper at the next election.

He said he has been honoured to serve the country since 1963.

In that time, he served as a member of various parliamentary committees, Leader of Official Opposition and Leader of Government Business.

He said that from his parliamentary experience, he has developed a conviction that Parliament has the ability to determine the destiny of the nation and that MPs have the potential to radically improve the lives of Kenyans.

MPs described him as an exemplary leader and an outstanding role model who has set high standards for future leaders.

Initially, MPs had resisted a proposition to have the House speak after his speech. However, Mr Marende opened the floor for those who wished to appreciate the Head of State, which ended up taking more than an hour.

The President’s close allies, family members, members of the business community, the Judiciary, police service and diplomatic corps were present at the special session.

Mr Kibaki was later hosted to dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel by MPs.

“I have been honoured to serve my country as the Member of Parliament for Othaya constituency since 1963. For the first time in nearly 50 years, I will not be on any election ballot paper,” he said.

He noted that the last two parliaments that had served under his 10 year presidency, had passed over 227 bills, a record he termed incredible.

He added that this year alone, MPs had already passed 90 bills, majority of them related to the implementation of the Constitution.

He thanked Parliament for approving the military operation against the Al-Shabaab terror group inside Somalia, saying the move was aimed at protecting Kenyans.

He urged those aspiring for political offices during the forthcoming General Election to promote peace and harmony during their political campaigns.

“It is critical that Kenyans are led by competent leaders with high moral standards. I urge Kenyans to vote wisely for men and women who will sit in the Senate and the National Assembly,” he noted.

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50 years in parliament

He was first elected MP in 1963

President Kibaki has been in active politics for the past five decades.

He was elected to the Lower Chamber of the House of Representatives at the independence National Assembly in 1963 as a representative of Donholm constituency in Nairobi where he served until 1966. The constituency’s name was later changed to Bahati (now Makadara), which he represented as Member of Parliament from 1966 to 1969.

In the 1974 elections, Mr Kibaki shifted his candidature and contested for the seat of MP in Othaya constituency in Nyeri. He won that contest and has been MP since.

At the birth of multiparty democracy in 1992, Mr Kibaki formed the Democratic Party (DP) which he used to contest for the Othaya seat. He also ran for presidency, where he competed against the then President Daniel arap Moi and lost. He ran again in 1997 against President Moi. He lost the presidential race, but still won the Othaya seat.

In 2002, with the wave of “change” in which the National Raibow Coalition (Narc) was born, Mr Kibaki ran for MP as well as the presidency on a Narc ticket. This time, he won both.

He shifted parties again in 2007 when he ran for these seats on the Party of National Unity. He won both.

President Kibaki has also served in various positions. In 1963, he was appointed Finance assistant minister where he served for a year before he was transferred to the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development up to 1966.

In 1966, he was appointed Minister for Commerce and Industry where he stayed for three years. He was then taken to the Finance docket in the same capacity and served for 10 months. He stayed here for eight years until 1978.

In October 1978, he was appointed Vice-President by the then newly inaugurated President Moi. He worked as VP until 1982 when he was given an additional role as Minister for Home Affairs for six years.

In March 1988, he was appointed Minister for Health. He stayed in this post for four years before he resigned to join multiparty politics.