As Kenya rallied toward the 62nd Jamhuri Day celebrations, a symbol of executive power and political history quietly commanded attention at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, a deep blue Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL that once served as the rolling fortress of President Daniel arap Moi.
Polished to a presidential sheen and cordoned off with ceremonial ropes, the long wheelbase limousine sat like a preserved relic of another Kenyan era.
It was one of the star attractions of the Jamhuri Day Thematic Week, which this year spotlighted tourism, wildlife, and the country’s rising influence in the global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions sector.
For many visitors, especially younger Kenyans, the car was more than a machine. It was a time capsule.
Francis Waweru of the Presidential Library, who guided visitors through the display, described the vehicle with the reverence reserved for national artefacts.
“He used it between 1991 and 1995. It is fully custom made, bulletproof and very favourable for VIPs. It has only done 21000 kilometres, so it is still very intact,” Waweru said.
“Everything is okay, it can drive but of course it is preserved as a national treasure.”
Custom built in Germany for State House, the 560 SEL arrived as a bespoke order, the kind only heads of state, oil magnates or royalty could make.
“It was made custom on order. Orders like these for VIPs are made on need basis, and the president belongs to that category,” Waweru added.
“Of course each president has preference. Mercedes is a renowned German company that makes high end VIP type vehicles.”
It was the car that carried Moi through some of the most politically charged years of his presidency.
The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL was, in its time, the undisputed monarch of executive sedans.
Developed under the W126 S Class line, it was the most expensive mass-produced four-door sedan in the world.
Automotive writer Rich Ceppos captured its symbolism on Caranddriver , noting that aside from Rolls-Royce, few badges communicated raw prestige like the chrome three-pointed star stretched across such a big car.
Everything about it, from its size to its silence, was designed to announce that someone important had arrived.
“The entire ownership experience was designed to offer a significant reward; that onlookers glance at you, then at the car, then back at you,” Ceppos notes.
Under the bonnet, a formidable 5.5 litre M117 V8 supplied the thrust expected of heads of state transport.
Despite its size, the sedan surged from 0 to 100 kph in about seven seconds, remarkable for a vehicle engineered more for statesmanship than speed.
Inside, luxury takes on a diplomatic purpose.
Moi’s car featured two rear-facing jump seats, a purposeful presidential modification that turned the rear cabin into a rolling conference room.
Meetings could continue uninterrupted as the Head of State travelled between engagements.
Wrapped in soft leather, with limousine-grade legroom and the famously smooth V8 humming beneath, the cabin represented the height of early 1990s automotive opulence.
"The door thunks home, and your mood begins to lift. As you ease out onto the dark street, the last thing they see is the twinkle of the three-pointed star on the rear deck," Ceppos writes.
Even gear shifts were engineered to be nearly imperceptible. If you noticed them, something was wrong.
Visitors to the KICC display were also participating in a broader national moment.
The Thematic Week drew crowds to exhibitions, career fairs and innovation showcases, and also featured a youth-focused town hall meeting with President William Ruto.
Ruto, who now uses a modern Lexus LX600 as his official vehicle, engaged young Kenyans on economic participation, tourism opportunities and their stake in the nation’s future.
The LX600, a large ultra luxury Japanese SUV valued for its reliability, off-road capability and advanced safety systems, reflects how presidential mobility has evolved into a more versatile, armour-capable platform suited to contemporary security demands.
Beyond State House, the 560 SEL belonged to a global fraternity of power.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the long-wheelbase V8 versions of the W126 S-Class were the preferred armour-capable limousines for presidents, prime ministers and liberation figures.
An earlier armored 500 SEL carried Ferdinand Marcos even into exile. Mikhail Gorbachev used a 560 SEL during his leadership of the Soviet Union, while a specially built armored 500 SE was delivered to Nelson Mandela soon after his release.
Its worldwide adoption was driven by the availability of Mercedes-Benz Guard protection packages and specialist conversions, which reinforced the car with hardened steel and thick multi-layer ballistic glass.
For many leaders, the W126 became the perfect blend of authority, security and mechanical confidence.
Yet it was Moi’s stretched Mercedes that most vividly linked Kenya’s present to its past.
Displayed under soft lights, its doors open and its presidential crest still proudly fixed to the grille, the 560 SEL reminded visitors at KICC how power once travelled with quiet menace, German precision and unmistakable status.
But as Kenya marks 61 years of independence, the preserved limousine stood out as one of the most evocative symbols at the celebrations, a physical reminder of leadership, ceremony and the legacy of the presidency.
Though its engine has long cooled and its convoys dispersed, the car retains its authority. More than three decades after it entered State House service, it still looks ready for duty.
A piece of Kenyan political history, resting behind velvet ropes.