Thursday, May 16, 2024 –The late Mwai Kibaki’s family has officially resigned from active national and local politics.
Kibaki son, Jimmy Kibaki, on Thursday May 16, made an official announcement resigning as party leader at the New Democrats Party which he has been at the helm for three years, now.
In a statement shared with the media this week, Mr. Jimmy Kibaki, son to the late President Mwai Kibaki, sought to relinquish his position so that to attend on important family matters which he didn’t mention.
This decision he reached at after a long consultation with family members and party supporters both home and away.
The younger Kibaki had until now been assumed to be the heir to his father’s political throne after the late president ruled Kenya for two terms of ten years.
“Over the past 33 years, I have been intimately involved in various political initiatives in this country, including the formation and management of various political parties.
“At this time in my life, it has become apparent to me that I need to devote all my time to urgent family and business matters that require my full attention. Consequently, and after a lot of thought, consideration, and soul-searching, it is incumbent upon me to tender my immediate resignation as the TND Deputy Party Leader,” he stated.
Now at the age of sixty years, Jimmy recounted his entry into politics in 1991, when he joined like-minded people to form the Democratic Party of Kenya DPA.
“Together we built this organisation into a respected political party that performed admirably in the 1992 and 1997 general elections,” stated Mr. Jimmy.
He shifted to the National Alliance Party of Kenya which later merged with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) in September 2002.
The founders included his father Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, Charity Ngilu and the late Vice President Kijana Wamalwa.
Led by Mwai Kibaki, the coalition captured the presidency in the 2002 general election under the support of Raila Odinga who rallied supporters with his attention-grabbing Kibaki Tosha slogan that captured the attention of the whole country sending Moi’s 24-year rule to oblivion.
Kibaki and Raila would remain in the scene alone; with Raila almost seizing power in 2007 in a bungled poll that saw Mr. Odinga supporters go to the streets to reclaim their victory.
Electoral commission then led Samuel Kivuitu would announce Kibaki but later stated that it was not easy to tell who actually won the contest. Raila would end up as Prime Minister in their grand coalition formation that saw William Ruto, Musalai Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta accommodated.
Mr. Kalonzo Musyoka would be picked to become Kibaki’s deputy.