The Following are 10
Lesser Known About
Uhuru Kenyatta:
1. His name stands for
freedom
The name Uhuru in Kiswahili stands
for freedom. This is a name that
was given by his father at a time
when the Kenyan people were
under the rule of the British. This
is the time when freedom was
desperately needed hence the name
Uhuru. To date, numerous
institutions and infrastructures
have been named Uhuru.
ishabaydhaba.com
2. Uhuru has worked as a
teller
Just like any other presidents,
Uhuru Kenyatta’s early life saw him
occupy different positions before
officially joining politics. Uhuru
worked for Kenya Commercial bank
as a teller from 1979 to 1980.
3. He was former president
Moi’s preferred successor
Former president Daniel Arap Moi
always had a soft spot for Uhuru.
He nominated him as an MP in
2001, and later appointed him as
the minister for local government.
This was seen as a favor from the
president because Uhuru was
politically inexperienced at that
time. In the 2002 presidential
elections, Moi decided to choose
Uhuru as his successor but he lost
to Mwai Kibaki in the presidential
election.
4. Uhuru was part of the
ODM
As a leader of KANU, Uhuru
Kenyatta made a strong opposition
against the draft constitution that
was to be denied in 2005. This was
the first time that he teamed up
with Raila Odinga to oppose the
constitution. Their unity led to the
birth of the Orange Democratic
Movement.
5. Uhuru is among the top
40 riches Africans
Uhuru Kenyatta has a lot of
inheritance from his father. His
father had a lot of wealth given the
fact that he was the first president
of the republic of Kenya. According
to statistics released in 2011,
Uhuru ranks among the top 40
richest individuals in Africa. His
family owns massive acres of land
in Kenya together with myriads of
businesses.
6. Uhuru is an ICC suspect
Despite being the incumbent
president of Kenya, Uhuru is a
suspect at the international
criminal court and he is currently
on trial. After the disputed 2007
election, Uhuru is believed to have
organised retaliatory attacks against
the Luo and Luhya communities
that lived in Naivasha and Nakuru.
Even though there has been no
direct evidence to link him to the
killings, The ICC strongly believes
that he masterminded the killings
with heavy backing from senior
government officials from the
Kikuyu community. On December
15th, he was named among the 6
prime suspects by prosecutor
Moreno Ocampo.
7. Remarkable school life
Kenyatta attended St Mary’s school
that is located in Nairobi . It was
one of the most prestigious schools
of that time. Uhuru later attended
the Amherest College in USA. He
graduated and returned to Kenya to
manage the family business empire.
8. Minister for finance
Apart from being the minister for
local government two times, Uhuru
has also served as the finance
minister in the republic of Kenya.
This was seen as a rewarding move
by president Kibaki after Uhuru
stepped down in his favor in the
run to the 2007 presidential
elections. During his reign as the
finance minister, he brought a lot
of significant changes in the
ministry.
flickr.com
9. He lost a nephew in the
Westgate mall attack
President Uhuru was among the
Kenyans who lost their loved ones
in the Westgate mall attack. His
nephew, Mwangi Mbugua was shot
together with his fiancé Rosemary
Wahito and they both died. This was
one of the darkest yet difficult
times for the Uhuru government
that was still new in office.
10. A family man
President Uhuru Kenyatta is a
family man. He is married to his
long time sweetheart Margaret
Kenyatta. They have three children
namely; Jaba, Jomo and Ngina
Kenyatta. President Uhuru
Kenyatta’s rise to the presidency
could not have come at a better
time when his political career was
almost being swallowed by the ICC.
Nonetheless, despite all the
controversies and accusations, he is
still a great leader and one who is
adored by many young Kenyans. He
is now the youngest president the
republic of kenya has ever had
