President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday morning unveiled a monument erected in honour of Kenyan freedom hero, pan-Africanist and former Cabinet Minister the late Ronald Gideon Ngala in downtown Nairobi City.
Speaking at the unveiling, the President said the Government will continue honoring Kenya’s heroes and heroines for their role in the making of the Kenyan nation and for laying a solid foundation for the country’s progress.
“Following the enactment of the Heroes Act, we are now able to ensure that all our heroes and heroines are remembered and celebrated by current and future generations,” Uhuru said.
At the brief ceremony, also attended by the late Ngala’s family led by former long-serving Cabinet Minister Noah Katana Ngala, the President paid tribute to the independence era political supremo for pioneering the ‘majimbo philosophy’, a precursor of today’s devolved system of Government.
Besides ‘majimboism’, the late Ngala is also celebrated for his frontline role in the making of Kenya’s first Constitution, support for multi-party democracy as well as for his pan-Africanist stature.
“A committed pan-Africanist and an advocate for promoting self-reliance through committed action, his clarion call of ‘Jeza Zhomu, Lenga Dzulu’, which translates, to ‘Try Hard, Aim High’ will forever inspire both the Great Nation of Kenya and all the People of Africa,” read part of the Government’s citation on the late Ngala.
President Kenyatta commended the ministry of sports, culture and heritage for continuing to erect and maintain monuments of Kenya’s heroes and heroines across the country, naming the examples of the statues of Dedan Kimathi in Nairobi and Paul Ngei in Machakos.
Sports, Culture and Heritage CS Amina Mohamed said her ministry was keen on honouring and promoting the welfare of the country’s heroes and heroines including the installation of monuments in their memory in line with the Heroes Act.
Former Cabinet Minister Noah Katana Ngala who is the late Ngala’s son thanked the Government for recognizing the role played by his father in the making of the Kenyan nation through the statue.