Uhuru Kenyatta first vied for the presidency in 2002.
Besides his great family name and the endorsement of the powerful incumbent, President Daniel Moi, the public knew very little about the Amherst-educated young Economist from Gatundu.
He had just been briefly in government by appointment.
In the 2002 General Election, he lost by a great margin to the then opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki.
Uhuru conceded defeat and became the Official Leader of Opposition during Kibaki’s first term.
He even teamed up with a rebel faction of the Kibaki government that led by Raila Odinga to defeat the government constitutional referendum of 2005.
In an unprecedented move, opposition leader Uhuru in 2007 withdrew from the presidential race and backed the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, his main competitor at the time.
Kibaki was credited with an impressive socio-economic turnaround of the country during his first term. The decision to back Kibaki’s re-lection showed a man who put the country before his personal ambitions.
Kibaki won albeit on contested terms and following the 207-08 post-election.
One of the most important achievements Uhuru will be remembered for is being a man who has stood for peace and unity of all Kenyans. He was one of the lead negotiators following the 2007-08 post-election dispute.
The negotiations saw the formation of the grand coalition government and restoration of peace and stability of the country.
Following the talks, Uhuru was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, later moved to Finance in the grand coalition government.
As Finance minister, Uhuru is credited with some positive efforts. These include the proposal that state officers downgrade to lower capacity vehicles to reduce cost of running government.
He is also credited with introduction of the Integrated Financial Management System, which increased transparency and visibility in government transactions, thus reducing instances of unflagged fraud.
He also set up the Pioneer Fund that subsidised credit facilities for the informal sector. The increase of boda boda ownership and other small and medium enterprises was largely as a result of this initiative.
In 2010, Uhuru was named, together with five others, in the infamous Ocampo Six list, accused of being a perpetrator of crimes against humanity in the 2007-08 post-election violence.
Kenyatta resigned as Minister for Finance [but remained as DPM] and embarked on a journey to clear his name, availing himself to the proceedings at the court in The Hague.
In 2012, Uhuru left the independent party, Kanu, and formed The National Alliance party, which won majority of the 17 seats in the September 17, 2012 by-elections. At this point, Uhuru had lost the tag of being President Moi’s “Project” and had become a man of his own effort and achievements.
He nominated as the presidential flag bearer of the party for the 2013 General Election and named William Ruto of United Republican Party as his running mate.
The Jubilee Coalition ticket of UhuRuto beat Cord, which brought together Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka in hotly contested election.
Raila petitioned the Supreme Court, which unanimously upheld UhuRuto’s election.
Against a backdrop of criminal charges and teased international isolation, Uhuru took over the presidency. He embarked on an international charm offensive to market the country internationally and woo investors to the country.
Uhuru managed to reverse the negative perception that Kenya was being led by suspected criminals and the results were evident in the high-profile visits by world political and religious leaders and the accompanying investment portfolios.
Then ICC prosecutor Moreno Ocampo dropped all charges against Uhuru due to lack of sufficient evidence to sustain the case [The prosecution said witnesses had been bribed and intimidated].
Despite these challenges, President Kenyatta’s administration managed to make transformative achievements in the first term. His administration made great achievements in healthcare, infrastructure, electricity, education and national security. It is Kenyatta’s administration that saw the implementation of the 2010 Constitution, particularly devolution.
In 2017, the opposition challenged Uhuru’s reelection again and the Supreme Court nullified the victory, ordering a repeat.
But Raila, the main challenger, boycotted the election, which President Kenyatta won and was sworn in. The opposition’s failure to recognize the election results led to a series of protests and demonstrations that almost plunged the country into violence and bloodshed similar to what was witnessed in 2007. But the President chose the path of peace and dialogue. He reached out to Raila and made a political truce that returned the country to peace and stability.
The moment is popularly known as the Handshake.
Uhuru chose to make peace, as opposed to power-parading and muscle flexing that could have decimated the country.
When he leaves office, President Kenyatta will have a reason to go with his head high. The legacy of national unity and peace.
Mugwang’a, a communications consultant, is a member of the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya
