Story by JEFF OTIENO
Publication Date: 8/12/2007
His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, arrives in the country today to begin a 12-day official visit of the East African region.
The tour, which will cover Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will be his first in the region since he completed 50 years as the Imam (spiritual leader) of the 15 million Ismaili Muslims living in some 25 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Fifty years ago, at the age of 20, the Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, as the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
During the trip, the Aga Khan will meet members of the Ismaili Community and top ranking government officials, among them President Kibaki.
He will also inaugurate various projects under the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
Projects inaugurated
The projects to be inaugurated are aimed at uplifting the lives of the less fortunate in society.
The Imam’s jubilee celebrations offer an opportunity to launch new social, cultural and economic development projects.
Some of the memorable projects launched during the jubilees of his grandfather, Aga Khan III, include the Diamond Jubilee Trust Bank and the Jubilee Investment Trust.
In Nairobi, where the tour commences, the Aga Khan will launch the Faculty of Health Sciences of the East Africa chapter of the Aga Khan University in Nairobi.
He will also preside over the laying of the foundation stone of the residential campus of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, the new Aga Khan Academy in Kampala and Uganda’s Bujagali Hydro Power Project.
Earlier Post: Aga Khan in East Africa for First Golden Jubilee Visit
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