Uhuru, Ruto and Raila pay tribute to towering boxing legend
A photograph dated May 15, 1975 shows US heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali (front, left) during a training session prior to his bout against England's Richard Dunn in Munich, Germany. PHOTO | ISTVAN BAJZAT | DPA
What you need to know:
- The legendary boxer made a high-profile visit to Kenya in 1980 and by then he was a household name.
- Mr Odinga said it was impossible not to mention Mr Ali when asked to list his heroes.
- National Assembly Majority Leader Duale wished the boxer eternal peace.
Kenyan leaders from across the political divide and sports personalities on Saturday paid tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto and Cord leader Raila Odinga were among the hundreds of Kenyans who took to the social media to pay their tributes to the man who left a mark beyond sports.
President Kenyatta said Mr Ali’s courage and determination will remain an inspiration to many.
“The death of legendary boxer @MuhammadAli has robbed the sporting world of an icon. May his soul RIP,” Mr Ruto wrote on his Twitter account.
The legendary boxer made a high-profile visit to Kenya in 1980 and by then he was a household name. His victorious “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) against American rival George Foreman also stamped his legendary status on the continent.
DANCED IN CIRCLES
Mr Odinga said it was impossible not to mention Mr Ali when asked to list his heroes. The former Prime Minister shared a memory of the first time he saw the boxer in the ring during his days as a student in Germany.
“I watched in awe as he danced in circles around the European heavyweight champion Karl Mildenberger,” Mr Odinga wrote.
“Even stranger to me were the boos coming from American soldiers who resented him for declining to fight in the Vietnam War.”
He added: “Most importantly, he taught us the secret power that lies within every citizen to resist oppression. RIP Champ.”
National Assembly Majority Leader Duale wished the boxer eternal peace. “The world legend @MuhammadAli passes on. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaw,” he tweeted, using Islamic phrases to wish him eternal peace.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed wrote: “The death of boxer Muhammad Ali is a loss to the sporting world and entire humanity. I mourn the towering top athlete that Ali was! RIP.”
Chief Justice Willy Mutunga retweeted tributes from other parties.
Kenyan footballer Victor Wanyama, who plays for the English Premier League team Southampton, simply posted “RIP Champion”.
TNA Nominated MP Johnson Sakaja, who is the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission patron also posted a series of tweets and videos paying tribute.
Even though younger Kenyans did not watch him in action, his career is captured in various movies and books. The boxer’s name and the hash tags RIPChamp also trended the whole day in Kenya.
