Kenya is silently marking Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s 45th death anniversary.
Previously, the country held ceremonies in remembrance of her founding father. The sitting president would then visit Jomo’s grave at the Parliament Buildings.
However, in 2019, then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and the son of Kenya’s first President, said his family had decided to hold private ceremonies in commemoration of Jomo.
“As President, I have consulted with the family of Mzee Kenyatta. We have agreed together that this is going to be the last celebration of 41 years of Mzee in this manner,” Uhuru said then.
Mzee Jomo Kenyatta took his last breath on August 22, 1978 at 3:30 am at State House, Mombasa.
After suffering a stroke in 1968, discussions about potential successors began among British officials and local politicians.
Read: History of the Mzee Jomo Kenyatta Statue
According to Poppy Cullen’s 2016 paper in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, the British government began to prepare a backup plan for Jomo’s state funeral as early as 1968.
“The plan covered a range of specific details including the timing and location of the funeral, the coffin, transport, lying-in-state, guests and burial,” Cullen revealed.
Bruce McKenzie, the only European in Jomo’s cabinet, was given the role of presenting this strategy to the Attorney General Charles Njonjo, Minister for Defense Njoroge Mungai, and then Vice President Daniel arap Moi, Cullen said.
Upon his demise, the British enlisted the services of a Kenyan-based English embalmer with extensive experience – Frank Clayton.
“Frank Clayton had been superintendent of eight cemeteries in Nairobi for 20 years until 1968. As Clayton was not himself an embalmer, he turned to a colleague, Allan Sinclair, to assist,” Cullen said.
Sinclair’s lack of a passport nearly prevented him from making it to Kenya on time.
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Sinclair arranged for the shipping of a casket from Britain to Kenya without being aware of earlier efforts to get a coffin.
In addition to providing the tools required to give Mzee a dignified sendoff, British military officers advised their Kenyan counterparts on how to conduct a proper burial, including lying-in-state.
According to Cullen, Mzee’s burial program was heavily influenced by that of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was laid to rest on January 30, 1965.
“Given that Kenyan policy-makers had asked to receive programmes from Churchill’s funeral, it appears that those organising the president’s funeral lifted the text almost entirely, editing only slight details,” Cullen continued.
Elsewhere, Wednesday marks 20 years since the death of Kenya’s 8th vice president Michael Wamalwa Kijana.
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A memorial service is set to take place at his Milimani residence, Kitale.
Wamalwa served as VP for six months following his appointment by then President Mwai Kibaki in December 2002.
Wamalwa died on August 23, 2003 at the Royal Free Hospital in London after battling kidney disease.
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