Stakes high as Kisumu hosts Madaraka Day celebrations

The national celebrations of Kenya’s self-rule this year takes place in the lakeside city of Kisumu, ODM party leader Raila Odinga’s political stronghold, in what will be more than just a public holiday.

At stake is the ‘Handshake’, the push to amend the Constitution and a General Election, which is just some 14 months away.

With the courts having slammed brakes on the push to amend the Constitution, through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), and the possibility of an appeal succeeding still uncertain, the days leading to June 1 promises to offer President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Odinga an opportunity to reassure the “passionate residents of Kisumu City” who are supporters of the ODM leader of a stable ‘Handshake’ despite the turbulence caused by the High Court.

Development projects

But rather than the usual politics and the previous presidential visits, the three-day visit of President Kenyatta to the counties of Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori will be different. Some 18 national government development projects have been lined up either to be launched or commissioned by President Kenyatta or members of his Cabinet.

The President and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta are expected in Kisumu Sunday for three days.

It is also in Kisumu that President Kenyatta will be welcoming his Burundi counterpart, President Evariste Ndayishimiye and First Lady Angeline Ndayubaha who will be in Kenya for a state visit. The Burundian leader will also be the guest of honour during the Madaraka Day fete at the newly constructed Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu.

“President Ndayishimiye, who will be accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, Her Excellency Angeline Ndayubaha, will join President Kenyatta during his tour of the various national government projects in Kisumu County and the Nyanza Region,” State House said in a statement yesterday.

University of Nairobi don Herman Manyora says the decision to underpin the visit by promises of heavy investments in the once-upon-a-time marginalised Nyanza, makes the tour much more than a Madaraka Day fete.

“The handshake has remained a secret between the two of them and June 1, 2021, offers the President the opportunity to tell the public what is inside the handshake,” he said.

“They were banking on BBI and without surety that the Court of Appeal will set aside the decision of the High Court, the visit offers the President to finish off what the BBI would have done.”

President Kenyatta hosted elected Nyanza leaders at State House on Friday before embarking on the three-day visit to the region. Mr Odinga also attended the meeting.

Legacy

At the meeting, the President told the leaders that he was determined to leave a legacy of a strong, united and prosperous Kenya, according to a State House statement. He added that together with Mr Odinga, they had resolved to pursue the dreams of Kenya’s founding fathers.

“My brother (Mr Odinga) and I are focused on leaving a legacy where young people have steady jobs and are able to access basics needs and become a country where all citizens are proud to be Kenyans,” he said.

Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang'ata also believes there is more to the visit this time around than the fete.

“In politics, every occasion and action has a plain and a deeper meaning. The plain meaning which the eyes can see suggests the event is normal Madaraka Day celebrations which are being done in circuit form,” he says.

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Additional reporting by Ibrahim Oruko; [email protected]