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Kenyans react to the demise of President Mwai Kibaki at 90

Mwai Kibaki smiling during a press conference in Nairobi   -  
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ALEXANDER JOE/AFP or licensors

Kenya

Kenyans are paying tribute to the late president Mwai Kibaki who died at the age of 90.

Kibaki’s remains were taken to the Lee Funeral Home, under a heavy security guard on Friday.

Among those who spoke is Charity Ngilu, the current governor of Kitui County, who served as a minister in the government of Kibaki.

She remembers Kibaki as a leader who will be missed because of his leadership skills. "Late President Kibaki spearheaded this country out of terrible economic times of the 90s in ensuring that we got a real economic state of the country where everybody used to say that we are proud to be Kenyans. We will miss him, we will miss his leadership, we will miss his guidance, his political strength that we all learned," she said.

A number of Kenyans from all walks of life gathered along the road outside the funeral home to catch a glance and pay their last respect to a man they considered a great leader.

Chris Wesa, a Nairobi resident, praised Kibaki for economic reforms and stability of the country following post-election violence that befell the country in 2007 and 2008. "President Mwai Kibaki left the economy in a good place. When you look at the post-election violence people were dying and also a lot of businesses went under but when they met with Raila Amolo Odinga, the economy bounced back."

As funeral plans are underway, condolence messages from Kenya and beyond continue to flock to the country in honor of the late third president of the Republic of Kenya.

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