Public invited to nominate heroes ahead of Mashujaa Day

By Immaculate Chebet, KNA

Over 140 Kenyans will be honoured for their outstanding contributions to society during this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations.

They have been selected through public nomination, with submissions evaluated against a criterion provided for in the First Schedule of the Kenya Heroes Act, No. 5 of 2014, as well as adherence to values outlined in Article 10 of the Constitution. 

These include considerations like age, gender, county representation, persons living with disability and impact of work at community, county, national and international level.

The heroes fall under 14 categories such as innovation, sports and agriculture, and may be honoured through awards, certificates, medals, and monuments.

After vetting, qualified names are published in newspapers for public feedback before final approval by the President and declaration in the Kenya Gazette.

The process is overseen by the National Heroes Council; a state corporation mandated to identify and honour individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation.

However, the council may withdraw honour with all its privileges or issue a caution or censure to any recipient found guilty of misconduct. This includes conviction and imprisonment, or violation of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

Established under the Kenya Heroes Act No. 5 of 2014, the National Heroes Fund is intended to support heroes in need of financial assistance, along with their dependents but it is yet to be operationalised as regulations are still pending.

The Council faces challenges in ensuring diversity across communities, people living with disabilities, gender, and age.

It also has limited funding for outreach and educational initiatives. Working with county governments to honour local heroes, the council recently recognised 14 individuals who died in a plane crash during a peacekeeping mission in Marsabit. 

In Elgeyo Marakwet, marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum was honoured for becoming the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours and one minute. 

Additionally, freedom fighter Koitalel Arap Samoei, during a visit to Nandi County was honoured. 

The Council seeks to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council of Governors to guide future honours, including naming roads and constructing monuments in strengthening the collaboration.

Public engagement is carried out through outreach programmes, exhibitions, events, and social media campaigns to raise awareness of national heroes.