A screengrab of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki arriving at Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui County for Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20, 2025Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye are among top leaders who have arrived at Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui County.
This is the venue where the 2025 Mashujaa Day national celebrations are being held.
Kindiki arrived shortly after 9 am, dressed in a dark blue suit, a light blue shirt and a red tie.
He was received by his security detail and senior government officials.
His arrival preceded that of President William Ruto, who is expected to lead the national event.
A few minutes later, President Diomaye Faye of Senegal arrived at the stadium, where he was received by Deputy President Kindiki.
Other senior officials were also present including Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya.
Diomaye was dressed in a blue suit with a white shirt.
The Senegalese leader is the chief guest at this year’s celebrations, marking his first official visit to Kenya since assuming office in 2024.
He arrived in Kenya on Sunday, October 19, 2025, and was received at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by CS Mvurya.
The visit serves a dual purpose, to attend the national celebration and to deepen bilateral ties between Senegal and Kenya in areas such as trade, energy, innovation and youth empowerment.
The presence of such a guest adds a continental and diplomatic touch to what is fundamentally a Kenyan national holiday.
Other dignitaries who had already arrived at the venue by mid-morning include National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Chief Justice Martha Koome, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, and Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya.
Also expected at the ceremony is the Prime Minister of Mozambique.
The national celebrations at Ithookwe Stadium mark the first-ever Mashujaa Day event hosted in Kitui County.
Hosting Mashujaa Day in Kitui for the first time at this scale underscores the government’s posture of inclusive regional development and spreading major national celebrations beyond Nairobi or major cities.
The infrastructure investments (stadium, airstrip, state lodge) suggest that the venue is intended to have lasting legacy value, not just serve for a one-day event.
The theme focuses on honoring heroes and heroines whose contributions have shaped Kenya’s political, social and economic journey.
President Ruto is expected to preside over the ceremony, deliver his national address, and lead the recognition of outstanding Kenyans identified by the National Heroes Council for their exemplary service to the country.
Security has been heightened in and around Kitui town, with hundreds of residents already streaming into the stadium early in the morning to witness the historic event.
