The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will bid farewell to their commander-in-chief, President Uhuru Kenyatta, as he leads the country in celebrating Madaraka Day, his last national holiday in office.
Interior Principal Secretary, Karanja Kibicho, disclosed that the military will showcase its artillery with a focus on weapons that are rarely seen by the public.
Uhuru will be saluted at the Uhuru Gardens on Wednesday, June 1, by the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy and Kenya Air Force officers.
“The event will be a bit different, a little heavy on military display. Because it's his last one, KDF will showcase a lot of military hardware, as they say, goodbye to their commander-in-chief.
“It will be Uhuru’s last time commanding a national day,” he added.
The PS also noted that the parade will also be KDF’s opportunity to assure Kenyans that it is ready to protect them against any aggression, especially after Uhuru pumped billions of money into uplifting both the military and the police.
“This is the opportunity you take to showcase your might as a country. This Madaraka Day is special being the last for Uhuru’s administration.
“For the last 5 years, we have devolved celebrations around the counties, being able to create infrastructure around the country and are now holding our last one at the revamped Uhuru Gardens,” he added.
Other than military ceremonies, there will be cultural exhibitions by locals and entertainment for visiting guests. The event will cost north of Ksh70 million.
“We have a visiting President, Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio, who will be our guest of honour.”
Over 30,000 locals are expected to attend the ceremony. Nairobi Regional Commander, Kang’ethe Thuku, directed all attendees to wear masks as the positivity rate in the country rose to 4.4 per cent.
A number of roads will also be temporarily closed ahead of the event. These roads include Southern Bypass, Langata Road, and Raila Odinga Way - formerly known as Mbagathi Way.
