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Mombasa, December 28, 2006
President Kibaki pays tribute to Former U.S President
President Mwai Kibaki has sent a message of condolence to U.S President George Bush, the Government and the people of the United States of America following the death of former President Gerald Ford.
In his message, President Kibaki described the late former President Ford as a statesman of rare vision, courage and patriotism.
"Indeed, the late Gerald Ford will be remembered for having presided over the recovery of United States from what he described, in his own words, as 'our long national nightmare'," President Kibaki said.
The President noted that during his time, the late Ford demonstrated remarkable political acumen in confronting major challenges that faced the United States including mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages and endeavoring to ensure world peace.
Equally memorable, President Kibaki pointed out, was the late Gerald Ford's decision of conscience to pardon former president Nixon and end the national trauma of Watergate.
Said President Kibaki: "In doing so, he not only placed his love of his country ahead of his own political future but also paved the way towards national healing and reaffirming the virtue of forgiveness as an integral aspect of the American tradition."
He said the late Gerald Ford's record of decency and integrity while in public office will remain an indelible testimony that politics can be a noble profession.
President Kibaki observed that it was in recognition of the late Ford's courage and political genius to manage strong opposition and to follow what he believed to be the right course of action that he was honored as the recipient of the 2001 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
"We take consolation that though he is physically gone, his legacy will continue to inspire not only the American people but also the world at large," the President said.
He assured the bereaved family and the people of the United States that he personally, and Kenyans in general, shared in their grief at this difficult time of mourning.