A museum is expected to be built at the site where freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi was shot and captured by the colonialists at Karunaini, Tetu sub county, Nyeri County.
South Africa High Commissioner to Kenya Keloka Mqulwana yesterday said her country will partner with Nyeri County government and Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in constructing the memorial.
Mqulwana faulted Kenyans for failing to recognize their liberation heroes and heroines like Dedan Kimathi, who she said inspired Nelson Mandela in his struggle to dismantle apartheid in South Africa.
“Kimathi shaped the political understanding of Mandera and the museum will be a resource centre for the young generation to learn, a site to attract local and international tourists,” she said.
She was speaking yesterday at Dedan Kimathi University in Nyeri County during Centenary Celebrations of Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu and unveiling of busts of Nelson Mandela and Dedan Kimathi.
The Commissioner added that Mandela could not have succeeded in the fight against apartheid without the inspiration of Kimathi and other African heroes and Heroines.
She added “in order to celebrate the legacy of these two struggle heroes, who shared common traits of courage, passion, integrity, selflessness and humility. The centenary of Nelson Mandela seeks to create a society that values these qualities and live by them”.
She further said that Africans should embrace values of liberation heroes and heroines and continue to honour their legacies through humanitarian acts and initiatives that acknowledge their never-ending quest to change the world for the better.
“The overarching objective is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good, she added”.
Mqulwana reminded the African youths that the future of the African continent depends on them adding “they have a huge role to play in shaping the direction of the continent, just like the generation of Nelson Mandela, Mama Sisulu and Dedan Kimathi”.
She noted that the youth should believe that just as the icons (Mandela and Kimathi), they have the power to turn their lives around and contribute to the development of Africa.
Speaking during the same occasion, Education CS Amina Mohammed said although the struggle of these heroes’ resulted in freedom from colonialism and apartheid, there were yet more freedoms to fight for.
Mohammed pointed out that Mandela, Kimathi and Albertina Sisulu believed in the creation of just and equitable societies which would offer equal opportunities for all.
She added “this would be in all sectors of national endeavour including education, health care, housing as well as cultural and socio-economic development that would expand the scope of possibilities and freedoms for the people. Political freedom was only one step in this direction”.
The CS said that the Kenyan government has remained committed to the realization of the goals that our freedom fighters fought for.
She cited the Constitution, our democratic practices and our efforts to grow the economy are clear indicators of the government’s determination to promote and safeguard our freedoms as understood in the widest sense.