ASK’s abandoned peace monument

The Cairn of Peace. [PHOTOS: NANJINIA WAMUSWA/STANDARD]

By NANJINIA WAMUSWA

As the 920,000 visitors who attended this year’s Nairobi International Trade Fair, held last month, moved from one stand to another, few recognised the presence of an important historical monument within the show grounds: Cairn of Peace.

Yet, the Cairn of Peace foundation stone, located at the junction of Harambee Avenue and Ukulima Avenue, is one of the historical and great features that stand out at the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) headquarters in Jamhuri Park.

Plaque

The foundation stone has a shiny plaque that reads: The Agricultural Society of Kenya, Cairn of Peace, unveiled by H.E. the President of Kenya, Hon Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. CGH MP on 29th February 1972.

During the unveiling of the foundation stone on February 29, 1972, by the country’s founding father who was also the patron of the ASK, the society was hosting the All African Trade Fair, attended by various heads of state.  According to ASK Nairobi branch chairlady Halima Shaiyah, the leaders resolved to not only launch a peace initiative but also maintain and preach peace in the region and across the world.

It is then that they unveiled the Cairn of Peace, and all the states that participated put a tag bearing the name of their country on the foundation stone.

“At this time, there were differences among several countries, leading to poor relations. That is why it was important for the heads of state to vow to start, maintain and spread peace in the world,” says Shaiyah.

Today, the foundation stone shows tags of different countries that initially participated during the exhibition such as Spain, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zaire, Romania, Italy, Polsk, Belgium, Egypt, Turkey, Barbados, Paraguay, France, Guyana, Russia, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica and others written in Arabic.

Shaiyah reveals that there were plans to start similar cairn of peace in other nations, but it is not clear whether they did or not. However, things went awry along the way and the foundation stone was abandoned. Although a number of foreign countries have been participating in the past exhibition, they have not put tags on the foundation stone.

Plans

Up to a few years ago, the Cairn of Peace had lost meaning. At one time, it was very bushy. To date, the foundation stone, that sits on a 16-acre of land and is about 1.6 metres tall, is yet to regain its lost glory.

Some of the flowers on the garden where the foundation stands are dry. The water fountain is no more, with allegations that it is stolen every time it is replaced.

The stone paths in the middle of the garden and around it are not always clean. However, Shaiyah promises to redeem the Cairn of Peace’s glory and try to revive the peace movement. “For the past two years, we have cleaned it. The fact that it was abandoned does not mean we also leave it to deteriorate. We are working on it and soon it will be a very attractive feature,” she says. She says that it was sad to see a symbol of peace die, noting that time had come to restart the peace movement.

A landscaper is expected to soon start redesigning the monument.