Mwai Kibaki: Kenya's most underestimated and misunderstood politician

Mwai Kibaki, the ‘gentleman of Kenyan politics’ was no coward, but a patient, calculating, ruthless and hunting political machine. [File, Standard]

They called the aloof, elitist, intellectual golfing economist and politician a fence sitter.

His Agikuyu people nicknamed him General Kaguoya (coward).

Yet Mwai Kibaki is the man who braved a humiliating demotion from Vice President and Leader of Government Business to Minister of Health, faced two bruising presidential election losses, a revolt within his Democratic Party (DP), and a freak accident to become Kenya’s third Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (now Defence Forces) in 2002.