A recap of Moi’s Leadership ahead of Moi day celebrations

Although Kenyans had earlier questioned on what exactly they will be celebrated  on Moi Day and what memories tag along with this celebration the 10 October remains a marked date as a public holiday in Kenya.  A section of Kenyans appreciate the holiday where others seem to oppose it.

Some leaders have however spoken today on the memories the have of Daniel Toroitich arap Moi.

He was born on 2 September 1924, in Sacho, Baringo County. He served as the second president of Kenya for 24 years from 1978 after the death of President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to 2002. Prior to 1978, he served as the third Vice President of Kenya from 1967 to 1978.

Moi was elected to the Kenyan parliament in 1963 from Baringo North. Since 1966 until his retirement in 2002 he served as the Baringo Central MP and only served as a vice-president until 1978 when he became the president after the death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

Moi became president in 1978 following the death of Jomo Kenyatta. He quickly consolidated his power, banning opposition parties and promoting his Kalenjin countrymen to positions of authority at the expense of the Kikuyu. He also curried favour with the army, which proved loyal to him in suppressing a coup attempt in 1982.

In the early 1990s, however, Western countries began to demand political and economic reforms, leading Moi to legalize opposition parties in 1991.

Moi is one of the leaders who has had notable  achievements and equally had failures but leaders have countable memories of him.

 

18 years ago, former President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi declared October 10 to be marked as a state occasion to mark his 10 years in Power.

Moi day was first marked in 1989 as a state occasion. But two years before Moi retired, he declared it a day of private dedication to the less fortunate. Moi Day was struck out of the public holidays list in 2010 following the promulgation of the new Constitution. A common day was then set to celebrate all Kenyan heros… Mashujaa Day.

Earlier this week, Fred Matiangi that the 10th of October will be a holiday in accordance to a court order which was given last year.

Here is how some of the leaders remember him.

Atwoli: Moi played the way Joe Kadenge used to play at number 9… He could get out of any problem at any time

Musalia Mudavadi: Moi was a very resilient individual… a lot of challenges came into his tenure but he was able to overcome them, of-course, at a cost… whether we like it or not let us appreciate that he held the country united for 24 years

Yussuf Hajji: “Mzee Moi is a man of his word… He is very conscious about the welfare of Kenyans…”

Mudavadi: Moi was not treated very well… but the fact that he went and handed over instruments of power speaks volumes to the future generations of Kenya…Moi left a legacy of handing over a country that was united

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *