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Photo:Former President Mwai Kibaki holds the Bible as he sworn in at State House Nairobi, December 30, 2007. Behind him is former Chief Justice Late Evans Gicheru.
After 10 years in office, the time had finally reached for President Kibaki to vacate office. He was immediately tasked with the responsibility of establishing his successor before his term comes to an end.
Several candidates had expressed interest in taking over from him. They included Musalia Mudavadi, Raila Odinga, and Uhuru Kenyatta. There were suggestions that the next president had to come from another community apart from Kikuyu and Kalenjin.
Former President Mwai Kibaki son, however, has come out to reveal a private and rarely told moment when the statesman's rage went over the roof and ultimately shaped the future of the country.
In an interview with Nation, Jimmy Kibaki recalled that President Kibaki became angry in the run to the 2013 General Election when he learnt that some State House operatives had attempted to block Uhuru Kenyatta, the then Presidential hopeful, from reaching him.
At the time, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi, who was also running for the presidency, had the support of some senior officials working in the Office of the President.
Many suggested that President Kibaki would have settled on Musalia since he was the most convenient candidate at that time. However, this was not the case according to Jimmy Kibaki. He Reveals that there were plans to stop Uhuru from accessing the President. Jimmy found out about the plan and immediately alerted his dad who was very angry.
Photo:Jimmy Kibaki.
"When it came to my attention, I went and told the President and the State House Comptroller was almost fired on that day. That was one of the few times I saw my father shouting.
"He was very upset. He told the comptroller that Uhuru was the only person allowed to go to State House without the requirement of an appointment since 'he is my neighbour.'," Jimmy said.
He nearly sacked the statehouse controller for his actions. After that incident, Kibaki brought Uhuru into the fold. By this time, the decision to choose him as Kibaki's successor was being pushed by First Lady Lucy Kibaki.
According to Jimmy, the First Lady had vowed to do anything to make Uhuru president. Jimmy noted that he knew Mudavadi's goose had been cooked when Lucy Kibaki took Uhuru's side, she was simply undefeatable.
Photo
resident Uhuru Kenyatta (Right) and his predecessor Mwai KibakiThe younger Kibaki added that his father shared a strong bond with Uhuru straight from birth. The special bond between Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru stemmed straight from the latter's birth since the Kibakis were close family friends with the Kenyattas