Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta thanked Kenyans for the immense opportunities they accorded him to serve in various public roles over the last two and half decades.
Addressing the Nation at State House on Monday, September 13, the outgoing President recalled his journey in the Public service, as he bade farewell Kenyans.
“I thank you all for the immense opportunities you have accorded me to serve in various public roles over the last two and a half decades” Uhuru noted
He further revealed that serving one’s country is the greatest honor any citizen can receive.
“To serve one’s country is the greatest honor any citizen can receive. It is a sacred trust and immense privilege that I have not taken for granted,” Uhuru noted.
The outgoing president was first appointed the chairman of the Kenya Tourism Board in 1999. However, in the year 1998, Kenyatta was given the additional task of chairing the Disaster Emergency Response Committee.
He was also appointed a Council Member of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology - JKUAT by the late President Daniel Moi. He served in the Council from 1998 to 2001
Uhuru political star rose in October 2001, when he was nominated by President Moi before he was elevated to the cabinet as minister for local government a month later.
Further, In 2002 Uhuru was elected as one of four vice-chairs of KANU. The same year, he was named the KANU candidate for the presidency, a controversial move engineered by the then outgoing President Moi.
Moi’s political game plan flopped after opposition parties ganged up against KANU, determined to end its 24-year rule.
Mwai Kibaki, Kijana Wamalwa, Raila Odinga among others, joined forces, dethroning the independence party in 2002 elections.
Uhuru who had just plunged into the murky world of politics, was relegated to opposition, assuming the leader of the opposition role in parliament with Kibaki as the President.
Uhuru's political career continued to rise after he was elected chairman of the KANU party in 2005.
In the run-up to the 2007 General election , Uhuru again made the intention of vying, but he withdrew his candidacy a few months before the election and opted instead to back Kibaki, who was running for reelection against Raila Odinga and other candidates. Odinga's camp included William Ruto, then Eldoret North MP, Musalia Mudavadi, Najib Balala, Charity Ngilu and the late Joe Nyaga.
When the election results showed that Kibaki had narrowly defeated Odinga, the outcome was rejected by many of the Odinga supporters and was followed by weeks of widespread polst election violence.
Following the chaos that claimed lives and displaced thousands of Kenyans, the International Court of Criminal Justice(ICC) trained its eyes on Kenya.
Uhuru, Ruto, Francis Muthaura - then head of Public service, Mohamed Hussein Ali - Police boss, among others faced charges of Crimes against humanity at the Hague-based court.
Under the Government of National Unity, where Kibaki and Raila agreed to share power through a Peace Accord, Uhuru was in 2008 appointed deputy prime minister and minister of trade.
The following year, Uhuru was moved from the ministry of trade to the powerful Finance docket.
However, the ICC charges did not stop Uhuru from once again pursuing his ambition for running as President.
Uhuru and KANU parted ways in April 2012, and the following month Uhuru launched a new party, The National Alliance (TNA). Later, they folded the party together with William Ruto and created an alliance called Jubilee Coalition.
The coalition propelled Uhuru to win the 2013 Presidential election in the first round, managing 50.47 of the votes cast against his competitor Odinga who managed 43.31 percent of the votes
However, Odinga did not concede defeat citing irregularities in the election but the Supreme Court later upheld the election results making Uhuru Kenyatta the fourth President of Kenya.
He successfully defended the seat in 2017, after Odinga again petitioned the court to annul the poll outcome. While Odinga's prayers were granted by the Supreme Court led by Emeritus Justice David Maraga, the former Prime Minister boycotted repeat elections, handing Uhuru a clean 98% win.
