Remembering Kofi Annan: He challenged us to fight for peace

Kofi Annan poses with the first cohort of the Future Leaders Connect Kenyan team members ( from left) Christine Mwangi, Victoria Mwirichia and Tim Kipchumba, plus a member of the other young leaders from around the world. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • It was a great pleasure to meet him as he was my role model as a young African aspiring to make impactful global change.
  • I was struck immediately by his strong conviction in the potential of young people to bring about the transformation they wish to see.

When Lucy Radoli met Kofi Annan for the first time, all she could say was: “Thank you for saving us.”

Lucy was referring to the peace deal that Kofi Annan brokered in the wake of the 2007 Post Election Violence in Kenya.

 She was holding his book titled Interventions: A Life in War and Peace and in response, he offered to autograph it.

“But most importantly, he challenged me and my colleagues from Kenya to stand up for what is right and not allow what happened in 2007 to ever happen again,” says Lucy.

Lucy Radoli was among the six Kenyans who met the former UN Secretary General in London in 2017.

The others were Simon Ndirangu, Tim Kipchumba, Christine Mwangi, Victoria Mwirichia and Simon Wanda.

The Kenyans were part of a group of 50 young Future Leaders from 11 countries who were in the UK as part of a nine-day leadership and policy skills programme called Future Leaders Connect, which is run by the British Council. Four Kenyans have just been selected to represent the country at the 2018 event later in October.

THE ELDERS

Kofi Annan, who died on August 18 aged 80, was the Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela a decade ago to work together for peace and human rights. 

The Elders, including Ban Ki-Moon, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Ricardo Lagos and Ernesto Zedillo, led a walk by hundreds of people including the future leaders through central London to lay peace candles by the statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square.

“Kofi immediately zeroed in on the Kenyan team during a networking event hosted by the Elders, and began speaking to us intimately, asking us questions about the status of our country following the annulled presidential election that had taken place. He seemed genuinely concerned for the country and was pretty emphatic about the future of the country being in young people's hands, that we were the only ones who could break the chains of tribalism and selfishness that had gripped our country's politics, ” says Christine.

Kofi Annan left a huge impression on the young Kenyans and they recall fond memories of their interaction.

Kofi Annan poses with the first cohort of the Future Leaders Connect Kenyan team members (from left) Victoria Mwirichia, Simon Wanda, Christine Mwangi and Simon Ndirangu. PHOTO| COURTESY

“Kofi  Annan requested to meet with us as the meeting with The Elders was taking place during the same period as the 2017 repeat elections in Kenya. He told us that there was nothing that would have made him proud than seeing a peaceful election in Kenya. He also challenged us to be ambassadors of peace, and told us that it was up to us young leaders to ensure that the violence that Kenya experienced in 2007/2008 is never repeated,” says Victoria Mwirichia.

HAD FAITH IN KENYA

Simon Wanda remembers with great fondness what meeting Kofi Annan in London meant to him:

“It was a great pleasure to meet him as he was my role model as a young African aspiring to make impactful global change. I was struck immediately by his strong conviction in the potential of young people to bring about the transformation they wish to see. I was impressed by Kofi’s passion for Kenya and his commitment to bring about peace and well-being of citizens.” 

Tim Kipchumba was impressed by Kofi Annan’s humble and unassuming nature :

“As we walked with him on Trafalgar Square, it was difficult to tell he was a Nobel Laureate and a global statesman. He was unassuming, humble calm and very attentive. I still recall his words to us: You are not too old to learn or too young to lead. We had asked him whether The Elders would intervene as following the annulment of the presidential election and he said, 'No we don’t have a mandate but I have faith in Kenya'."