Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his mother, former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, on Saturday graced the consecration ceremony of St John the Baptist Chapel in Ichaweri Kiambu County.
The new landmark along Kenyatta Road was built by the former First Lady on the foundations of the Ichaweri Chapel put up in 1971 by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first President and Uhuru’s father.
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Uhuru and his mother said the decision to build the chapel was to honour the first President of Kenya. They did not disclose how much they invested in the church but those close to the project figure it may have cost then tens of millions of shillings.
This was weeks after Uhuru appeared in public at a church service alongside Kalonzo Musyoka in Kitui County. The former President was at the St. John the Baptist Chapel with Mama Ngina Kenyatta and family members.
“His (Jomo Kenyatta’s) desire was to have a church within the community where people could gather together and worship. He had just come from detention in Maralal, Samburu County,” Mama Ngina said.
The service was presided by The Most Reverend Philip A. Anyolo, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Nairobi.
Former President Kenyatta acknowledged all the players, thanking Mama Ngina Kenyatta for her determination in ensuring that the chapel was built to its completion. The building boasts fine wood finishing, and stained-glass windows illustrating service to God and humanity.
The Kenyatta family has gone down history as having produced the first and fourth presidents of Kenya – Jomo Kenyatta and Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively. Uhuru Kenyatta succeeded Mwai Kibaki, who took over from Daniel Moi who, inherited the reins from Jomo Kenyatta after his death in 1978.
Mama Ngina, on the other hand, holds the enviable status of having been first lady during Kenyatta’s tenure and mother to President during Uhuru’s ten-year rule between 2013 and 2022. The family is ranked among the richest in Kenya with investing cutting across various sectors including banking, hospitality, media, real estate and logistics.
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