Celebrating the life of a ‘political giraffe’ with nostalgia, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi of Kenya

My PhD thesis was on former President Daniel arap Moi. After passing all the required core courses which took more than one year and gruelling five-hour exams, John Ostheimer, my chair of the dissertation committee, asked me to think of my topic for research.

It could have been the cool climes of Flagstaff Arizona, which hosted my alma mater Northern Arizona University, that made me long for Kenya. I remembered what my friend Richard Ndorongo had told me back in 1980 after finishing my Masters in Political Science at Illinois State University, when I told him I longed to go home. He dismissed the whole idea of going home because he knew that Moi, who had been in power then for less than two years, was a passing cloud and that Njoroge Mungai would soon take over, and then he would return to Kenya. Up to now, Ndorongo has never returned to Kenya-40 years later.

In the summer of 1983, Prof Ostheimer and I agreed I should work on a dissertation titled, Leadership in Africa: President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi of Kenya. The dissertation was based on scholarly research around the area of leadership. It was my argument that leadership was the most important ingredient in any nation’s development. When I looked at the literature, I found that it was indeed true that countries had done well or poorly depending on the quality of their leaders.

At the time of writing the thesis, leaders like Mobutu Sese Seko, Jean Bedel Bokassa and Mengistu Haille Mariam had given Africa a bad name. I delved into Moi’s background and was amazed by his humble upbringing in the Tugen Hills where he was born. He was a herds boy like any other, but then there was a difference. Moi had embraced Christianity and loved education. He would trek 140 miles every term from his home in Sacho in Kabarnet to Kapsabet in search of knowledge.

He had this humble character that disarmed everyone he met and quickly gained confidence and trust of many. He later joined Tambach Training College where he excelled as a teacher. When a political opportunity arose, he was unchallenged and quickly rose through the political ranks to become a member of the Legco.

He became adept at seeing far, and his arch rival and predecessor former Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga wrote in his famous treatise, Not Yet Uhuru, that Moi was the proverbial giraffe. He did see far then and went to visit Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in detention in Kapenguria where great friendship must have been struck. Moi became Kenyatta’s longest serving Vice President. Attempts to remove him from that position failed as Kenyatta would hear none of it. In my interview with Dr Mungai about 10 years ago, I asked him if he ever had presidential ambitions. He answered by telling me a story. One morning, he drove to State House Nakuru where he also served as the President’s physician to see Kenyatta. Moi soon arrived and Kenyatta offered them traditional millet porridge. They declined.

Mzee then offered them nyama choma, but they again declined. He then told them: “Alright, both of you do not want to eat anything, and you seem anxious about something. Go attend your meeting in Nairobi and come back later for some food.”

They drove in their respective convoys and reached KICC where delegates had gathered for the election of Kanu vice president and where Mungai had presented his candidature against Moi. The delegates were astonished to see Moi and Mungai and asked them where they had been because Kenyatta had already cancelled the elections. From then on, Mungai told me, he knew Moi was Kenyatta’s chosen successor and that he did not want to leave the presidency to anyone from Central Province. He decided to support Moi henceforth.

Back to my dissertation. I started by looking at education. Moi spared no effort in advancing the educational interests of the nation. That is why the Kenyan human resource pool is second to none in Africa. He also eventually allowed political pluralism when he agreed to have section 2A of the constitution repealed. Moi was no doubt a political giraffe! Did he not prove he was the professor of politics when he contested the presidency twice and won against a divided Opposition? Did he not propose Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor? We rejected him in 2002, but isn’t he the president today?

I cannot forget the Sh5,000 Moi gave me in 1976 to purchase an air ticket, that helped me begin my educational journey in the US. Many others been touched by Moi’s generosity. Let us celebrate Moi’s life and replicate his good deeds.

Amb Dr Cheluget is the Assistant Secretary General of COMESA based in Lusaka, Zambia.