Skilled grassroots operator with friends countrywide

Former President Daniel arap Moi was a smart grassroots mobiliser with a network of friends across the country, who helped him and his party Kanu dominate the country’s politics for years.

On his travels around the country, he, on many occasions, could call out names of people standing in a crowd -- even when he had not met them for many decades.

And he could hardly conceal his love for humour, breaking into hearty laughter especially when listening to humorous speakers like Ezekiel Barg’etuny and the late Mark Too.

During field trips, especially when on the campaign trail, the former president exhibited extraordinary energy, spending hours addressing rallies and roadside meetings without breaking for lunch.

He would either stop at market centres to buy foodstuff for cheering crowds or at schools to give money for students to have a party.

Even after his retirement, the professor of politics was keen to see that Kanu maintained its position as a national party and was always ready to campaign for its candidates in by-elections.

One of the most memorable assignments I had while covering his meetings was when we flew to Marsabit, after the death of long serving Kanu MPs Bonaya Godana (North Horr), Titus Ngoyoni (Laisamis) Guracha Galgalo (Moyale) and Abdi Sasura (Saku) in a plane crash in 2006.

The crash also claimed the lives of Internal Security Assistant Minister Mirugi Kariuki, East African Legislative Assembly member Abdullahi Adan, District Commissioner Peter Kingola and Anglican Bishop for Kirinyaga Diocese William Waqo. Godana, a long serving Cabinet Minister in Moi’s government, was at the time of his death the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in parliament, representing Kanu.

Their death shocked the nation and more so the former president. He was driven to the crash site after we landed at the Marsabit airstrip where he astounded those present with his geographical understanding of the area.

After listening to area District Commissioner explain how the accident happened, he asked: “Mbona hawakuenda kwa kiwanja ile ingine (why did they not use the other airstrip)” and, not waiting for an answer, he said: “Kweli ajali haina kinga!” (Accidents cannot be stopped).

Keen memory

It later emerged that the airstrip Moi had referred to was a desert runway about 10kms away. He had used it when he was the vice president, long before the airstrip near Marsabit town was constructed. Whether the pilot of the ill-fated plane knew about the desert runway will remain unknown because many of those present did not know it.

From the crash site where he laid a wreath, Moi moved to the next agenda and that was to campaign for Kanu candidates to be fielded in the by-elections. Among the candidates was Sarah Godana, the wife of Dr Bonaya Godana who had been cleared by Kanu to vie for the North Horr seat.

In Marsabit town, the headquarters of Saku constituency, Moi walked with his body guard and three local elders to the selected homesteads of old friends, spending not less than 30 minutes behind closed doors at each stop. After retiring for the night at Marsabit Lodge, the team overflew the vast Chalbi desert to North Horr. The following morning, a rally had been organised for Moi to campaign for Sarah Godana.

In his entourage were two men with the gift of the garb, former Youth for Kanu 92 (YK 92) official Abdulrahman Bafadhil and former Mombasa Mayor Taib Ali Taib, currently serving as a prosecutor in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The former president appeared to know that getting a soda in places like North Horr was a luxury because, as we sat at the meeting, he looked perplexed that we were being served with sodas and politely inquired from a young woman who was uncapping the bottles, “Na hii imetoka wapi?”

He was the told that the vehicle that delivered the sodas for the guests began its journey three days earlier and arrived in the morning, about an hour before we landed.

The distance from Marsabit to North Horr is over 400kms and the earth road through the Chalbi Desert at the time was very difficult to navigate. Among the traveling party, he was the only one who had knowledge and understanding of the area. He also looked so relaxed when mingling with local elders.

As expected, Bafadhil, the man whose peers call Baf, did not disappoint, cracking joke after joke while working up the crowd to support Mrs Godana -- to the excitement of the former president.

After Moi addressed the crowd and explained why they should support the Kanu candidate, we moved to a tent where food, including camel meat, was served.

From Marsabit he moved to Moyale the next day, then drove on a bumpy road in the bandit-infested area along the Kenya – Ethiopia border to Guracha Galgalo Secondary School, where the former MP’s remains were interred.

After paying his respects at the grave side, Moi addressed a rally while Kenya Army tanks kept watch from a safe distance in the bushes.

He thereafter met with about 30 local leaders, shaking hands with each before meeting them in private to strategise on how Kanu could recapture the seat.

From there, he retreated to Moyale town for lunch with local leaders, where he introduced the Kanu candidate and again repeated the message he gave at the North Horr meeting, as the excited crowd chanted, “Nyayo, Nyayo!” and “Moi Juu!”

The three days I spent with him revealed how he could easily connect with people by engaging them in sober discussions, listening carefully, sharing with them meals and experiences and asking to know how the families of his old friends were doing.