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"id": 924071,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Kang’ata",
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"content": "out, he was a sick person. He went to London, came back and vied to become the President of this country. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are several reasons why Hon. Kenneth Matiba stands out vis-a-vis other people who fought for multiparty democracy. When he decided to fight for multipartysm, he was a fairly wealthy person. Most wealthy people rarely join politics. Therefore, when he decided to make a bold move and confront the KANU regime, many were shaken because there were few other people with such immense wealth who could dare President Moi and face him direct. As a result of that, he lost most of his property in the struggle for the betterment of this country. He also lost his personal health. You all know that by the time he passed on, he was quite a sick person. Therefore, to me, that epitomizes several people in this world who have gone to that extent. We know people like Mahatma Gandhi in India, Malcom X, Martin Luther King in United States of America (USA), Marcus Garvey in Jamaica and several others who have done heroic things, and died fighting for humanity. To me, Hon. Kenneth Matiba reached that level. He risked it all to ensure that we move forward. Madam Temporary Speaker, what Hon. Kenneth Matiba was fighting for can be deciphered into two things. One, he fought for multiparty democracy, which was realised. If you recall, when he called for a press conference on 3rd May, 1990 at Chester House, he demanded for multiparty democracy and peaceful assembly at Kamukunji in 7th July, 1990. He did it in a peaceful manner and was taken to detention. He did something just like what Jesus Christ did when he died for the people. That is why we love Hon. Kenneth Matiba. Secondly, we like him because in 1997 he had the opportunity to vie to become the President of this country. However, he said ‘no constitution, no elections’. He decided to get out of politics because President Moi refused to hold constitutional reforms before the elections. If you recall the events of 1997, some few Members of Parliament (MPs) agreed to form the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) meeting that undertook piecemeal constitutional reforms, which were not helpful and did not address the fundamental problems of the country. In fact, I strongly believe that the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 is a product of the efforts of Hon. Kenneth Matiba in 1997. Madam Temporary Speaker, the other reason we must celebrate Hon. Kenneth Matiba is because of his immense contribution in various spheres that he handled. You have been told of his contribution in sports. He was once an executive director of Kenya Football Federation (KFF). During that time, Gor Mahia became the regional champions. He managed KFF in a good manner and people still remember his good work as the executive director. He was a major corporate titan. We all know that Hon. Kenneth Matiba was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL). At that time, KBL was the most profitable private company in this country. In fact, KBL was displaced just the other day by Safaricom. It was a profitable company for a long time and the seed was planted by none other than Hon. Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba. We also celebrate Hon. Kenneth Matiba because of the work he did in Public Service. He was the youngest Permanent Secretary to be employed by the Government of Kenya. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}