NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 25 – The late Kenneth Matiba has been described as a disciplined person who was always keen to accomplish what he set his mind on.
Speaking during his funeral service at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on Wednesday, his friend Joseph Kibe stated that he always led from the front and never allowed substandard work from his juniors.
While reading his eulogy, Kibe said that Matiba led his life using the mantra ”Forward ever, backward never’ and did not believe in failure.
“Forward ever backward never was his mantra. Matiba served as PS for Education, Home Affairs, Commerce and Industry and Cooperatives. He was known as a stern but fair task master always leading from the front and promoting Kenya with excellence while never allowing sub standard work,” he said.
He however described him as a fun loving person who challenged himself especially through mountain climbing.
“In 1953, Ken borrowed a pair of hiking boots to scale his first mountain, Kilimanjaro. This arduous experience provided an insight into the world of mountaineering and valuable lessons in self discipline. Thereafter, he regularly climbed both Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya,” he stated.
“He took his youngest daughter Julie up Mt Kenya when she was only 10 years old, igniting in her a passion for sports and outdoor adventures. His ultimate mountaineering triumph was successfully leading the first Kenyan expedition on the Himalayas.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto together with former President Mwai Kibaki are among those who are at the church.
Before the service, the procession carrying Matiba’s body made its way along various roads to the All Saints Cathedral.
The convoy left the Lee Funeral Home to allow Kenyans to pay their last respects to the veteran politician who died earlier this month.
From there, the procession headed to Ngong Road, through Haile Selassie Avenue and then to Uhuru Park via Processional Way.
