How Nyayo Milk made Moi popular with school children

When retired President Daniel Moi ascended to power in 1978, he made a decision to “follow in the footsteps” of his predecessor the late Jomo Kenyatta.

He promised to take Kenyatta’s mantle and continue with the projects that the founding president had established. This birthed the “Nyayo” philosophy that emphasised peace, love, unity and development.

It is under Nyayo that Moi’s development legacy rose and lingered on. Even in death, Moi will be remembered for the Nyayo initiatives he launched. The most salient of them include: 

Nyayo Milk: For people who went to school in the Moi era, nothing can beat the sweet feeling brought by a ringing bell notifying pupils of the arrival of “Maziwa ya Nyayo”. Most people remember with nostalgia the tiny packets of milk that would be distributed to public schools in a bid to encourage pupils to stay in school. It was reported that within the first year of the launch of Nyayo milk, pupil registration, especially in rural areas, rose by more than 23 per cent.

“We had a dance that we would gleefully perform while singing: Maziwa ya Nyayo is here…,” said Rufus Ong’ele, a social worker, who took to his social media page to eulogise Moi. Nyayo milk stopped being distributed in the mid-90s due to lack of money.

Nyayo Buses: There was a time, during the Moi era, when transport was a breeze. There was no pushing and shoving that defines public transport today. After the launch of Nyayo buses in 1986, most people found movement in Nairobi and beyond easier and affordable. The cost was subsidised and school children in uniform would not be charged. Most people who used the buses say one of the outstanding things about them was that they were always on time. 

Nyayo Pioneer Car: In one of his speeches in 1986, Moi raised concern over the lack of innovation in universities. The University of Nairobi took up the challenge and launched a car manufacturing plan. The team that worked on the Nyayo Pioneer car was made of experts from different fields and State ministries. They came up with five prototypes that were launched in a much-celebrated event. It beamed hope on the future of manufacturing in the country and showed that with the right will and push, Kenyans can venture into areas that were thought to be too complex. Due to lack of funds, the cars were never mass produced.

Nyayo Tea Zones: In a bid to conserve forests, the Moi government established the Nyayo tea zones. The tea zones were meant to provide land for tea farming while protecting forests from encroachment. It is one of the Moi projects that has survived to this day, carrying his legacy shoulder high.

Nyayo wards: While trying to stop overdependence on donor funding, which Moi claimed was promoting colonialism, the Nyayo wards were constructed to boost affordable and accessible healthcare. Even though they did not fully take off, they solidified the importance of African socialism as envisaged by Moi.