The monumental shame that is Mboya’s statue

Tom Mboya statue in Nairobi CBD. [File, Standard]

The beauty or otherwise of any city is borne out by its monuments, thoroughfares and landmark edifices. That is what one sees in Rome, Seoul, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur or Washington DC to mention but a few. South African cities are replete with well-groomed statues of founding President Nelson Mandela.

Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua was spot on when he expressed disgust at the disrepair and abandonment of the Tom Mboya memorial statue in downtown Nairobi erected in 2003 in honour of one of the nation’s foremost heroes. The monument has since degenerated into an eyesore and a national shame.