Kakamega County Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya on Thursday hosted Interior & National Coordination Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho as plans to host this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations at Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega county intensified.
H.E. the Governor exuded confidence that the celebrations, marked on 20th during the month of October every year, will indeed be the most colourful of the previous national events held outside Nairobi county.
The Governor said the people of Kakamega county are really honoured to host the event adding that he was committed to ensure the celebrations are successfully held.
PS Karanja Kibicho lauded the Governor for the cooperation witnessed so far from the county government of Kakamega and announced that a joint national day celebrations committee comprising of both county and national government officials has been set up to oversee further preparations. Later H.E., the PS and their entourage toured and inspected the venue as well as other essential facilities in the county expected to be used.
County Secretary Madam Jacinta Aluoch Odhiambo was in attendance as well CECM for Lands, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban areas Alfred Matianyi, Chief of Staff Robert Sumbi and other senior government officials from both levels of government.
Mashujaa Day, also known as Heroes’ Day is a national day in Kenya, which is observed on 20 October as a public holiday to collectively honour all those who contributed towards the struggle for Kenya’s independence or positively contributed in the post-independence Kenya.
It is also known as “Heroes Day,” as the Swahili word “mashujaa” means “heroes.” It was originally called “Kenyatta Day” in honour of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, but the name was changed after the 2010 constitution was adopted in an effort to expand the day’s meaning from honouring only those who took part in the independence movement from Britain to honouring all of Kenya’s heroes.
While the day normally falls on October 20th, if it lands on a weekend, it is moved to the following Monday so workers still get a day off.
The day’s original background was the arrest of Jomo Kenyatta and five other independence movement leaders by the British colonial government on October 20th, 1952. They were accused of holding membership in the revolutionary Mau Mau Society and are affectionately remembered as the “Kapenguria Six” based on the detainment centre where they were kept. Their arrest was considered such an important moment in the struggle for freedom from foreign rule that October 20th became a national holiday.
Mashujaa Day is typically celebrated with an event at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. A military parade takes place with troops wearing colourful uniforms reminiscent of the red, black, and green on the Kenyan flag. You can witness the inspection of the honour guard, hear the president of Kenya give a speech much akin to a U.S. State of the Union Address, and watch motorcades roll by or even skydiving displays.