On 15^th March 2022, the Mkenya Daima Initiative hosted a dinner in honour of H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Former President of Liberia) at Nairobi Serena Hotel. The Nobel Laureate shared her experience in leading and turning around a war-torn country. This comes at an opportune time for Mkenya Daima stakeholders to pick valuable lessons as the country gears up to the General elections in August.

Present at the event was the Mkenya Daima Steering Committee members led by the Chair Dr. Vimal Shah and Dr. David Oginde – Chair of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK); KEPSA leadership led by CEO Ms. Carole Kariuki, Chair Ms. Flora Mutahi and KEPSA Foundation Chair Mr. Patrick Obath among other guests.

H.E. Sirleaf is a leading promoter of freedom, peace, justice, women’s empowerment and democratic rule. As Africa’s first democratically-elected female Head of State, she has led Liberia through reconciliation and recovery following the nation’s decade-long civil war, as well as the Ebola Crisis, winning international acclaim for achieving economic, social, and political change.  Recognized as a global leader for women’s empowerment, she was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011.  She is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Emerging Public Leaders Global Board.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Shah noted that the greatest achievement of the initiative is the launch of a peace pledge that every peace-loving politician has to sign as promise pact to preach peace. “As Mkenya Daima, we have to ensure that good leadership and accountable governance is in place for us to have a prosperous nation,” He remarked.

Ms. Kariuki noted that social-economy is a key pillar of KEPSA being the apex body representing the private sector and focusing on Profit, Planet and People. She also noted that politics is as important as any other area of the economy and Kenya should seek to learn from the wise counsel of H.E Ellen Johnson who improved the fortunes of a war-torn country into a prosperous economy.

During her keynote remarks, H.E Ellen Johnson challenged participants to be more committed to national interests as opposed to personal ones with trust and honesty to public service being the driving force. She also insisted that leaders are not born but one can spot leadership at a very young age, especially those who listen and reach out to their peers.

While tackling the integrity question, H.E Ellen Johnson said that prevention and punishment have to work in harmony, revealing that her government tried to tackle the systemic corruption that had gained root in Liberia for two decades. “To beat corruption, institutions have to be independent with continuity in institutional capacity,” She added.

H.E Ellen Johnson noted that everyone has a part to play to fill the evident gap that is left by worthy leaders who leave office peacefully. “I would like to see more equity with all citizens having a stake in the economy, playing a responsible role, and enjoying the benefits of their participation,” She concluded.

In his closing remarks, Bishop Oginde urged the participants to work towards electing leaders who are visionary, people-focused with national interests at heart and grounded on values. “As we head to the ballot, we should espouse ‘uongozi bora’ and not ‘bora kiongozi’,” He remarked Bishop Oginde.