Kenyan flag to fly half-mast in honor of Mugabe

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Starting Saturday Kenyan flags will fly at half-mast until Monday to honor former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe who died on Friday at 95 years old after ruling for 37 years.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta made the proclamation in a statement saying which he declared the late Robert Mugabe as an African hero.

“I hereby order and direct that the flag of the Republic of Kenya shall be flown at half-mast at the State House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Republic of Kenya and throughout the Republic of Kenya from dawn on Saturday the 7th September, 2019 until sunset, on Monday the 9th September, 2019.”

Kenyatta added that “comrade” Mugabe was a shining beacon of Africa’s liberation struggle, an icon that led Zimbabwe in its liberation struggle from Colonialism to independence.

The former guerrilla leader turned politician had swept to power in the 1980 elections. He served as prime minister in 1980-1987 and then as president in 1987-2017.

Mugabe’s 37-year rule has been widely criticized for human rights abuses in the country, election rigging over the years, and destruction of the country's once flourishing economy.