Written By Gerald Gekara 📝
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and his counterpart Salva Kiir of South Sudan will lead foreign leaders in paying their respects to Kenya’s late President Mwai Kibaki at his State funeral on Friday in Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium.
Other dignitaries expected include Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and former Malawi President Joyce Banda, according to a list provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vice-Presidents Constantino Chiwenga of Zimbabwe, Philip Mpango of Tanzania, and Jessica Alupo of Uganda, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, and Sri Lanka’s Special Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake are among the others.
In a condolence message, President Ramaphosa said Kibaki championed the cause of democracy and unity in Kenya and beyond.
President Salva Kiir described Kibaki as a courageous statesman who earned the respect of his peers for his work on regional stability, declaring three days of national mourning and flying flags at half-mast across South Sudan in his honor.
Kenyans are expected to be seated in the stadium by 8 a.m. for Kibaki’s funeral. From Monday to Wednesday, the public was able to see his body as it lay in state at Parliament buildings.
On December 30, 2002, President Kibaki was sworn in as Kenya’s third president, and he served until April 9, 2013.
He will be remembered for championing free primary education, transportation and energy infrastructure improvements, and expanding healthcare availability and access.
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