Uhuru salutes Biwott for projects he initiated
What you need to know:
- Mr Biwott represented Keiyo South Constituency from 1979 to 2007.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday paid tribute to former Cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott, saying he was dedicated to uplifting the community and the country.
“He never forgot where he came from. This is why he spent decades building schools and hospitals, and spearheading every other kind of development.
"May his generosity never be forgotten,” the President said, when he visited the home of the former minister in Nairobi to console his wife Hannie and other family members.
Mr Biwott died in a Nairobi hospital on Tuesday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, DP William Ruto pose for a picture with Biwott's family in Riverside Drive, Nairobi on July 14, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY
GUARDED
The President was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. They spent close to one hour at the home.
Mr Biwott represented Keiyo South Constituency from 1979 to 2007, and was a minister for most of those years.
When a Saturday Nation team visited the home on Friday, it found it heavily guarded by hawk-eyed individuals.
PARANOID
The politician was so concerned about his security that he went to great lengths to keep people away from his homes.
He would meet supporters at petrol stations and offices.
Even former President Daniel arap Moi once said in public he did not know his lieutenant’s home.
DEVELOPMENT
In spite of extolling Mr Biwott’s virtues as a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, an advertisement announcing his death said nothing about the individuals behind these extraordinary roles the former minister played.
At the same time, former Cabinet minister John Koech remembered Mr Biwott as a man who helped him roll out development projects in Chepalungu Constituency, which he represented for many years.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta console Hannie Biwott when they visited Biwott's family in Riverside Drive, Nairobi on July 14, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY
INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr Koech, who joined Parliament the same year as Mr Biwott in 1979 and served with him in the Cabinet, said the National Vision Party leader, who, in his heyday, was very close to President Moi, helped in initiating water projects and establishing schools across the Rift Valley.
“He was generous. He helped me build a number of secondary schools such as Kispsuter,” Mr Koech, now the chairman of the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board, said.
