By JOE KIARIE
In his final years, he was a man to whom President Kibaki turned
for many of the biggest tasks of his two-term presidency. Thus, his sudden
death in a helicopter crash a week ago tears a big hole in both Government and
national politics.
Friends, family and country remember a complicated man who was “no
angel”, but did his duty until his dying day, earning respect for his
sacrifice.
As Kenya pays its last respects to former
Vice-President George Saitoti, 67, the true
scale of his service and the nation’s loss continues to unfold. Thousands were on hand at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi Friday for a funeral Mass in honour of one of the most experienced and accomplished hands in the Kibaki Cabinet.
scale of his service and the nation’s loss continues to unfold. Thousands were on hand at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi Friday for a funeral Mass in honour of one of the most experienced and accomplished hands in the Kibaki Cabinet.
There, Prof Saitoti was eulogised as a friend, advisor, dependable
right hand, effective leader, and a statesman. Messages of condolence have been
received from Pope Benedict XVI, current and former presidents, diplomats,
politicians, scholars and ordinary citizens. And, today, thousands more
who are shocked at his demise are trooping to his Kitengela home to join his
family and friends in giving him a heroic send-off after decades of political
service.
“The loss of Prof Saitoti has been a painful experience for me,”
President Kibaki said Friday, describing the departed leader as “a personal
friend to whom I entrusted (some of) the most crucial dockets in
Government.”
Praising Saitoti’s sense of decorum and careful public manner, the
President said he took solace in the knowledge he leaves behind a rich legacy.
“I will always be thankful for the competent manner he implemented the policy
of Free Primary Education that has remained very close to my heart since we
introduced it nine years ago,” he said.
“We thank God for the time we shared with the late Saitoti and for
the service he has rendered to our country.” Honouring Saitoti’s life as a
devoted Catholic, senior leaders in the Church showed up for the Mass, which
was conducted by the Archbishop of Nairobi, John Cardinal Njue.
Sitting beside him were almost all Catholic bishops, foreign
bishops, retired Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki, Bishop Emeritus of Mombasa
John Njenga, and a considerable number of priests. It is Njue who set the
flurry of tributes to Saitoti rolling, with the bulk of his sermon lauding the
fallen minister’s role in nation building.
“There is a sense of loss for the whole nation and Saitoti will be
remembered for the good work he did. He will also be deeply missed in Kajiado,
where he worked wonders,” Njue said.
The Pope’s representative to Kenya, Apostolic Nuncio Alain Paul
Charles Lebeaupin then read a papal message noting Kenya’s loss, to which the
faithful responded with loud applause.
Mathematical sense
Former Ghanain President Jerry Rawlings, who was given a chance to pay his tribute, described the late minister as a man of “equal grace”. “When I met him during my first trip to the country I was amazed by Saitoti’s grasp of issues, his looks, and movements. I later learned that all his life revolved around mathematical sense,” he said. Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Saitoti was a selfless leader who never found it difficult to occupy any position in Government.
Former Ghanain President Jerry Rawlings, who was given a chance to pay his tribute, described the late minister as a man of “equal grace”. “When I met him during my first trip to the country I was amazed by Saitoti’s grasp of issues, his looks, and movements. I later learned that all his life revolved around mathematical sense,” he said. Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Saitoti was a selfless leader who never found it difficult to occupy any position in Government.
“As you have heard the late Saitoti was many things to different
people. He was an intellectual, thoughtful, and easy to engage. He found no
difficulty in any new arrangement,” said Raila. The PM, however,
regretted how a poisoning in the early 1990s changed his lifestyle. Saitoti, he
disclosed, always insisted on travelling with two bodyguards, even when there
was limited space on an aircraft.
Raila promised the family of the deceased that the Government
would get to the bottom of the circumstance of the helicopter crash. “It is the
duty of this Government to win the trust of the people of Kenyan in such
inquiries,” he said.
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka recalled how Saitoti took in his
stride the fact that he would not become the First Deputy Prime Minister in the
Narc Government under a 2002 pre-election deal that was not honoured. Saitoti,
he said, dropped his ambition without complaining and later signed the MoU in
which Raila was to become Kenya’s PM after the 2002 General Election.
House Speaker Kenneth Marende called for
thorough investigations into the air accident that led to his death, saying it
was time for Kenya to embrace high standards to avoid accidents. He
described Saitoti as an outstanding contributor in the House who stood as a
voice of reason and was always determined to succeed “keeping his eyes on the
prize, the nation”.
In a message read by a friend, the late Saitoti’s wife, Margaret,
reflected on their life together saying their love knew no bounds.
“The first time we met as young people, in 1976, we were full of
hope and love. That was the most memorable day of my life,” she said.
Margaret added she realised that her husband had a higher calling of serving
the public in various capacities and so she gave him the chance to serve the
country, adding that the late Saitoti was naturally focused in serving the
people of Kenya.
Mr Jimmy Wanjigi, a close friend of the late
Saitoti, said it was impossible to come to terms with the tragic events that
led to the death of the minister.
“It is sad that his journey was cut short in the constituency he
grew up in, and just near a primary school he attended at an early age,” said
Wanjigi. It was lawyer Fred Ngatia, however, who probably summed up
Saitoti’s life best when he stepped forward to read the eulogy.
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