Moi gave up power with humility

Perhaps departed former President Daniel arap Moi’s most gracious gesture as a statesman was his humility at the passing of the baton to his successor, Mwai Kibaki on December 30, 2002.

It had rained the previous day in what was interpreted as blessings for the new era punctuated by a landslide victory against the independence party, Kanu. Moi had braved everything to be at Uhuru Park to cede power smoothly.

He stoically endured a charged crowd that, amid acerbic refrains of yote yawezekana bila Moi, saw foolhardy citizens throw mud balls at the outgoing president who had overseen Kenya’s destiny for 24 years.

I was privileged to be at the front of that crowd and watched the unfolding events in horror. I wondered why the incoming team seemed to relish the ugly scenes and lacked the courtesy to allow the outgoing president bid farewell to the nation.

Kibaki, who was in a wheelchair, did not acknowledge that his predecessor had done any good. His disdain was evident as he spoke of inheriting a country that had been ravaged by years of misrule and ineptitude.

Leader of steel

That was Moi, a leader made of steel whom the late Kuria Kanyingi, a former MP for Limuru and a master of political chicanery who earned the dubious distinction of being labelled Mr Moneybags, wished a long life that he requested God to "pass some of his years to President Moi". Kanyingi died in 2014.

Imposing in height, Moi was tall and fit as a fiddle - attributes he carried into the political field that served him well, prompting Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to famously describe him as a giraffe that saw very far.

It is no secret that Jaramogi was never Moi’s friend, but he admired the latter’s remarkable ability to manoeuvre his way through the rough political terrain at the time, succeeding founding President Jomo Kenyatta despite the hurdles placed in his way.

He loved Kenya as demonstrated by his decision to have Section 2A of the Constitution that entrenched a single party State done away with to allow for multiparty politics when the majority of his lieutenants were for the status quo.

Moi also emerged a giant on the education front where he expanded and built many educational institutions of which Kabarak University stands out today.

He established many secondary schools that still bear his name, among them Moi High School, Moi Girls School, Eldoret, Moi Girls School, Nairobi, Moi High School, Mbiruri, Moi Girls School, Vokoli.

Even in retirement, Moi continued to support schools through efforts such as buying buses.