Our legislators have failed us more than a thousand times throwing their voters into a turmoil.”What happens to the brilliant minds when they get into government employment? Do they stop thinking and being innovative?” a citizen tired of leaders behaviour questioned on social media.
Known economist David Ndii took the initiative of explaining. He stated that he developed a theory for the character during the Moi era revealing that when you saw appointment of someone you thought was bright and held high regard for them, Moi had sniffed out something about the person that you didn’t know.
Most of the time he added that the special quality former President Daniel Moi had identified was either greed or vanity and more often it was both.
I developed a theory during the Moi era that when you saw appointment of someone you thought brilliant and held in high regard, Moi had sniffed out something about the person that you did not know. It was either greed or vanity, more often than not, both. https://t.co/lzCptEzrEA
— David Ndii (@DavidNdii) May 12, 2019
The resignation of Vice-President Joseph Murumbi in 1966 paved the way for the promotion of Daniel arap Moi, who was then Home Affairs Minister, an appointment that put him on an 11-year journey to Kenya’s most powerful job, which he was to hold onto for 24 years.
“Moi is the Man!” screamed the headline on the Daily Nation of Friday, January 6, 1967.
His administration also took quick actions against top civil servants accused of corruption, culminating in the resignations of officials including the Police Commissioner, Bernard Hinga. These actions were interpreted by Kenyans as an indication of the dawn of a new era, a conducive environment for adherence to democracy and human rights.
In due course, however, Moi became more interested in neutralizing those perceived to be against his leadership. The issues of corruption, “tribalism” and human rights per se became distant concerns. Instead, Moi began to centralise and personalise power when he took over the presidency.
He pledged to follow Kenyatta’s nyayo (Swahili for “footsteps”). He wanted ordinary Kenyans to perceive him as a true nationalist in his own right, and as a close confidant of Kenyatta