Mwai Kibaki used tact and experts to grow economy

Former President Mwai Kibaki. [Mbugua Kibera, Standard]

Kibaki’s presidency was like an Arctic summer when flowers briefly blossom. Coming after Kanu's long and unchallenged reign, the country could finally breathe a sigh of relief, ranked as the most optimistic in the world after the 2002 polls.

Two years later, we got ourselves a Nobel laureate, Wangari Maathai. I recall the envious eyes in a lecture room in the US Deep South when news filtered that a fellow Kenyan had won peace Nobel prize.