Mbita: Elders from the Abasuba community have called for the posthumous honouring of the late Tom Mboya during this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations. Led by the coordinator of the Suba Council of Elders, Prof. Medo Misama, the elders said Mboya made significant contributions to the struggle for independence and the development of the country after independence.
According to Kenya News Agency, the elders stated that the late Mboya had not been sufficiently recognised for his contribution to Kenya. Speaking during a visit to Mboya’s grave in Rusinga Island, Mbita Sub-County, the elders said the Government should ensure that the former Cabinet Minister is honoured for his contribution to the country. Prof. Misama highlighted that many Kenyans who contributed to the country’s liberation had been given various honours by the State posthumously, but Mboya had not been included.
‘Many heroes have been awarded honours posthumously, but nothing has been awarded to Tom Mboya since his death in 1969,’ Prof. Misama said. He cited the Mboya Airlift programme, which Mboya championed to support Kenyans pursuing academic programmes in the United States of America, as one of his remarkable contributions to the country’s development. He said Mboya went out of his way to transform the lives of Kenyans through the programme. ‘The Airlift Programme was a game changer for Kenyans. Mboya was a true patriot and nationalist,’ Misama said.
He said Mboya was among the leaders who conceptualised the construction of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. Other contributions included supporting infrastructural development and establishing learning institutions after independence, he said. Misama said the recognition should also include supporting Mboya’s family. ‘Mboya achieved a lot in a short time and should be honoured posthumously,’ Prof. Misama said.
The elders also petitioned the Homa Bay County celebrations committee to hold this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations at Rusinga Island, near the Tom Mboya Mausoleum. Jacob Nyang’or, Chairman of the Mediation Team in the Suba Council of Elders, said holding the celebrations at the mausoleum would enhance Mboya’s recognition. ‘Our concern as a community is that Mboya, who made significant contributions to the development of this country, is gradually being forgotten. We want this year’s Mashujaa Day held at his mausoleum,’ Nyang’or said.
The Suba Council of Elders Chairman, Peter Odede, said Mboya also contributed to political development in East Africa. ‘Mboya was a Pan-Africanist and he deserves recognition,’ Odede said. Evance Oloo, a member of the council, said the Government should also build a statue of Mboya in Rusinga Island. Oloo urged the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) to take over the mausoleum, expressing concern over its poor maintenance. ‘We appeal to the Government to take over the Tom Mboya Mausoleum as part of the National Museums of Kenya,’ Oloo said, and preserve its history for future generations.
