Details indicate that though the death of Kenya’s founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1978 shocked the nation, it also threw the country into a moment of tough decision making.  

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After his death, it became hard to decide on his burial place as the government had not put the same in consideration while he was alive, though it was obvious he would die at some point. This was because even thinking about the President's death was considered high treason at the time. According to Charles Njonjo, the man who served Kenyatta as the Attorney General for 15 years, making the decision was too difficult to a point that a Cabinet sub-committee was formed to decide on Mzee's final resting place. Njonjo and the then Head of Civil Service Joseph Kariithi were part of this sub-committee. "We were confused, we were overwhelmed, this had never happened...what do we do with the body of the first president of this country?" he was quoted by the Daily Nation in a past interview. He revealed that some members wanted Kenyatta to be buried in his Gatundu backyard but they were informed that the President was 'bigger' than his constituency in Central province. Those who wanted him buried in Mombasa, where he had died in his sleep, were told that it was impossible as he was not a native of the Coast and that he was the father of the nation.Kenyatta would later be buried at Parliament buildings in Nairobi and a statue erected to top it off. "We felt he should be buried in a parliament that he created," Njonjo was further quoted.#historynow