Emilio Mwai Kibaki: Remembering our 3rd Chancellor

Emilio Mwai Kibaki passed away in the early morning of Friday April 22, 2022. As Kenya’s third President, he exemplified ten years of service to the nation of Kenya as president, and over 30 years more as a statesman, minister, business magnate, and elder.

He was the third University of Nairobi Chancellor having served from December 2002 to 2003. The University of Nairobi honoured H.E. Hon Mwai Kibaki with 2 honorary degrees.

One in 2004 where he was honoured for his tireless work to establish harmony, understanding and cooperation between the many groupings and parties of Kenya. He was recognized for being a consummate national leader with truly instructive lessons, gifts and a priceless and important legacy for future generations.

In 2008, the University honoured him with an honorary degree for being an inspiring leader committed to scholarship, democratic ideals, and ensures opportunity and fair treatment for all, especially for the vulnerable member of the society.

But what can be remembered exactly about this venerable elder statesman?

We remember all too well his photographic memory a man who could give a speech without consulting notes, then he talked off the cuff, from memory and with a sense of humour..

The university sector will miss this leading light, today’s academic as he was holding a first class honors degree from Makerere University, top cream at the London School of Economics, and top policy  expert  who brought in immense investor interest and donor interest from the World Bank, the UNCTAD and top British and French syndicates.

Within his tenure as president, his stewardship over the country is unmatched both for his radical changes to the higher education sector, a much needed change that only he could bring in. The education sector will immortalize this man, who paid attention to higher education and this real interest led to the increase in the number of tertiary institutions.

Kibaki introduced the concept of citizen chancellor. This was a break in tradition which lead to private citizens, men and women who served as elders, maintaining a moral compass and   guardianship of national public universities. 

This is a man who refused to have national institutions and monuments named after him. This may be in keeping with his privacy and being reserved. But then, this first class brain would not perhaps shock one by being a sycophant or entertaining sycophancy.

The education sector is mourning this illustrious warrior, who ensured progress in the education sector from primary, secondary and university; in the last few years contributing immensely to unlocking the potentials of Kenyans right across the country.

Mwai Kibaki visited the University of Nairobi in December 2013, and delivered a profound statement about the status of education in Kenya. In his speech, he said that the gains so far recorded in the education sector did not automatically translate into a modern state with decent living standards for all.

“So far, the leadership of this country has done what has been within its ability and reach with regard to getting Kenyans to the promised land. However, a lot still remains to be done, my hope is that each of us in this country will play their part fully especially in the area of creating both jobs and wealth, be it from within and our natural or imported sources,” he said.

Emilio Mwai Kibaki was clear that the nation should embrace innovation, especially in industrial technology of a national scale in order to ante up in the endeavor to transform the nation. This way it would be possible to ensure that there was a broad good change of fortunes for the good of all. In pointing to a promising future and the possibility of attaining change.

The reality is that few African statesmen attain the level of transformative actions.

The Vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Prof Stephen Kiama immortalizes Emilio Mwai Kibaki as a transformative leader.

“One of his greatest transformations was in university education. Kibaki is on record as instituting measures to enhance access to education. As a consequence, this nation has built inestimable mass of critical thinkers that are shaping debate and great conversations. Many homesteads across the nation can boast of a graduate or two and our scholars spend time in libraries, laboratories, conferences and research, seeking to evolve better solutions to the challenges encountered by ordinary citizens,” says Prof. Kiama.

The Vice-chancellor remembers joining Emilio Mwai Kibaki's entourage to the AU Headquarters Meeting in 2012. Kenya had one important agenda to bring to world focus, which was to ensure the legacy of Prof. Wangari  Mathaai became a continental agenda. This phenomenal man, pushed for the Wangari Mathaai Institute to be recognized as a center of excellence in environmental governance and further, that an African Environmental Day be set aside. During the meeting, Emilio Mwai Kibaki organized a dinner so that he could lobby delegates on the retention of UNEP in Nairobi. One should not be surprised that all these agendas were fully supported by an African leader. Indeed, it only underscored the thoughtfulness and inquisitive nature of Emilio Mwai Kibaki, and time again only demonstrated the gentleman ways of this leader.

“On behalf of the University of Nairobi Community, I extend my condolences to the family of former President Mwai Kibaki.  He has rested now, but we will miss this fine gentleman, we know that his legacy lives on. We are embolded by his vision, and his prodding of facts; as we walked along the gardens at the AU headquarters preparatory to his planting a tree, he spotted the big magnificent sculpture and called me out immediately asking what is the meaning of this, and I, realized that this was my first time to really decipher a meaning to this sculpture.  This is the man we remember, a discerning mind, but above all a wonderful human being,” ends Prof. Kiama.