Kenya’s first President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s classic limousine was transferred from the State House to Uhuru Gardens where it will be preserved.
This follows the official unveiling of the Uhuru Gardens National Monument and museum by President Uhuru on May 31 ahead of the 59th Madaraka Day celebrations on June 1.
The story behind Jomo Kenyatta’s limo
The posh car was reportedly bought at the London Motor Show during the third Lancaster Conference in October 1963 at an estimated price of £7,305 at the time it was the most expensive car on display.
The Rolls Royce Phantom V soon became a symbol of opulence.
PHOTO/Courtesy
“It is not only in Kenya that part of the British community envy Kenyatta’s acquisition of an example of a Rolls Royce craft,” J Boulton, (head of the East African department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said about it.
It was then transported to Kenya via the sea on November 1, 1963, and it was expected that by the time it arrived at the port of Mombasa the chauffeur would have flown back to Kenya to receive it.
Apparently, he had previously been taken through training in Britain to learn how to maintain the car at Rolls Royce Centre, Goodwood.
The car will now be preserved at the new museum that holds over 12,300 artefacts collected across the nation and spread around the 68-acre land that was previously used as a detention centre during the struggle for independence.
The garden that will be accessible to the public free of charge has been envisioned to tell Kenya’s history and narrate Kenya’s significant events.
The facility will host 20 different galleries including the Tunnel of Martyrs, People’s of Kenya, Birth of Kenya and Military Heritage.
The military gallery will showcase what Kenya has achieved in terms of ammunition and weaponry.
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