The 54th Madaraka day celebrations led by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday were exceptional in several ways. From the national event being held for the first time in Nyeri town, to the Opposition leader being treated in a rather humiliating manner, the celebrations had much to leave tongues wagging all day long.
Kenyans.co.ke compiled a list of what went wrong during the national event meant to celebrate the liberation of Kenya from the yolk of colonial slavery and honor the gallant freedom fighters who made Kenya achieve self-rule.
1. Raila Odinga snubbed.
The Opposition leader attended the ceremony in Nyeri but was not given a chance to address the public. This sparked outrage among a section of the public with some questioning if the government was serious in uniting Kenyans when it left out and ostensibly sidelined the influential political figure.
#Jubilee keeps claiming it wants to "bring Kenyans together": acknowledging #Raila during #MadarakaDay would have been one way of doing so. https://t.co/rrI6oRircO
— Dr. Reginald Oduor (@ReginaldOduor) June 2, 2017
[caption caption="Opposition leader Raila Odinga at the grounds for Madaraka Day celebrations"]
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2. Entertainers left stranded, spending the night in the cold.
Troupes of women group who entertained the head of state spent the night out in the cold after relevant authorities failed to pay them for their services.It took the intervention of President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday to pay the women Sh3.2 Million before they safely dispersed.
Nyeri women camp in cold after dancing for Uhuru, demand pay https://t.co/NE6urPjeeM pic.twitter.com/BM452aTbZo
— The Star, Kenya (@TheStarKenya) June 2, 2017
3. Speeches in mother tongue.
Some of the speeches at the event were offered in the local Kikuyu language, something that did not go down well with a section of Kenyans.
Some questioned why the speeches were in Kikuyu given the significance of the ceremony in Kenya's history and the fact that it was a national holiday attended and followed by Kenyans from all walks of life.
Didn't get the memo to bring along a translator when attending a national event, #MadarakaDay2017 . Why address different tribes in kikuyu?
— Erica Kakile MD (@erica_kakile) June 1, 2017
4. Entertainment
The event was lacking the usual fanfare and entertainment associated with public holidays. Entertainment was very limited with a few selected women groups presenting songs in Kikuyu. In their true nature, Kenyans on social media criticised this.
[caption caption="Nameless at a past event"]
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5. Military parade and display cut short
Due to the poor weather in Nyeri, the military parade and display by the Kenya Airforce had to be cut short. There were only a few air craft displays that are known to wow the crowds at such events.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta inspecting a guard of honour"]
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6. Kisumu celebrations cut short by protests
In Kisumu, Madaraka day celebrations were cut short after the crowd in attendance grew hostile protesting the high cost of living and shortage of subsidized maize floor. The crowds were hurriedly dispersed.
