Uhuru, Raila to receive international award for handshake deal

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President Uhuru Kenyatta and former PM Raila Odinga will be honoured with Black History Month, African Peace Award 2018 for the March 9 handshake.

The award ceremony will take place at the British House of Parliament, Westminster Palace in the UK on October 18.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history.

Director of the summit Godson Azu said the two leaders will be honoured during a London Political Summit for their political sportsmanship and adherence to the principle of political tolerance.

“It is a great privilege to identify with their latest leadership style which infers immense political maturity,” Azu said in a statement on Thursday.

The theme of the summit will be; “How to generate the political will and public will: Influencing change in a complex democracy”.

On March, when the country was at the height of political turmoil stretching from the disputed August 2017 election,  Uhuru and Raila in an unexpected and rare show of unity told Kenyans they had set their differences aside and would work to unite the public.

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The Peace Accord Handshake ended the political acrimony and intolerance after the elections that had threatened to divide the country.

Raila, who was first to speak, said ethnic division had finally come to an end and that he and his ‘brother’ (Uhuru) will bridge the existing gap.

Uhuru assured Kenyans of a new political beginning following his meeting with Raila – he noted they had an opportunity to extensively discuss matters affecting Kenya.

The summit will be looking at the narrow and broad concepts of political will to act, and the public wills power to react, in the very context of an individual leader, or collective leadership actions in critical political decision-making in governance.

The Summit also created a special award known as “RailaUhuru African Peace Accord Award”.

This award will be given annually to any African leader who embraces peace, values democracy and exhibits a high level of political maturity and tolerance.

The awardees will go through strict criteria and vetting.

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Some of the criteria used will be political tolerance, people-oriented leadership, political accountability and political morality among other vital issues in governance.

Others nominated for London Political Summit are: Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga MP, Speaker of Uganda parliament, Rt Hon. Diane Abbott MP UK Parliament.

Others are; John Raftery Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University, Her Excellency Ambassador Dr Josephine Ojiambo, Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth,

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On the list as well is Her Excellency Ambassador Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba who served two terms, from 2008 to 2014, as Deputy Secretary-General for the Commonwealth.

“The paradigm shift in political thoughts and actions around the world in most recent years has to resonate with the idea that nations should govern themselves, free from external interference,” Azu said.

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