Arthur Moody Awori (born 5 December 1928), known as "Uncle Moody", is a former
Kenyan politician who served as the ninth
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
of Kenya from 25 September 2003
[Page on Awori at Vice-President web site]
. to 9 January 2008. He is also the author of ''Riding on a Tiger,'' an autobiography about his life in politics.
Personal life
Arthur Moody Awori was born in
Butere
Butere is a town in Kakamega County of the former Western Province (Kenya), Western Province of Kenya. It has an urban population of 4,725 (2009 census). Until 2010, the town was the capital of the former Butere/Mumias District.
Transportation l ...
the capital of the former Butere/Mumias District to Canon Jeremiah Awori and Mariamu Awori.
[Kenya Government Bio](_blank)
. He was one of their 16 children, a good number of whom went on to hold different senior positions in politics, medicine, and other sectors.
Awori's eldest brother, Musa, died of a snake bite at infancy. His older brother,
W.W.W. Awori, served on the
Legislative Council in the 1950s. His younger brother
Aggrey Awori is a politician in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
who came third in the presidential elections of 2001. His sister, Mary Okelo, is a founder and CEO of the Makini Schools.
His brother, Professor Nelson Wanyama Awori, led the team that carried out black Africa's first successful kidney transplant which was performed at Nairobi Hospital in 1978. Another brother, Hannington Ochwada Awori, was one of the pioneer civil engineers in Kenya.
Moody Awori attended
Mang'u High School, and later joined
Kakamega School
Kakamega School, formerly known as Government African School Kakamega and Kakamega High School, is a four-year high school in Kakamega, Western Kenya, founded in 1932.
Mr. Harold Arthur Waterloo Chapman, a graduate of University of Oxford, was m ...
. Subsequently, he studied at
Makerere University
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...
in Uganda. He is a devout
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
.
Politics
Moody Awori was first elected as a Member of Parliament representing
Funyula Constituency Funyula Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of seven constituencies in Busia County
Busia is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. It borders Kakamega County to the east, Bungoma County to the north, Lake ...
in
Busia District in Western Province in 1984.
[Kenya Parliament profile](_blank)
. Under President
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...
, he served in several positions as assistant minister.
Awori broke with the ruling party,
KANU, in 2002 and joined the
National Rainbow Coalition opposition party, and served as chairman of NARC’S top decision making organ.
[ When Moi was succeeded by Mwai Kibaki, Awori was made Minister of Home Affairs in January 2003][ and then Vice-President (while remaining in charge of Home Affairs) in September 2003, following the death of the previous Vice-President, ]Michael Kijana Wamalwa
Michael Christopher Kijana Wamalwa (25 November 1944 – 23 August 2003) was a renowned Kenyan politician who at the time of his death was serving as the eighth Vice-President of Kenya.
Early life
Michael Christopher Kijana Wamalwa was born in S ...
, in London.[
In the December 2007 parliamentary election he lost his parliamentary seat.]["Kalonzo VP in Kibaki’s new Cabinet"]
, ''The Standard'', 9 January 2008. On 8 January 2008, Kibaki named Kalonzo Musyoka to replace Awori as Vice-President and Minister of Home Affairs,[ and Awori handed over the office on 9 January. Awori, describing Musyoka as "a friend and political son", said that he believed Musyoka was "equal to the task", while Musyoka said that he had "deep respect" for Awori, who he called "a true gentleman".][Mutinda Mwanzia]
"Kenya: Awori Hands Over to Kalonzo"
''The East African Standard'', 10 January 2008.
Anglo Leasing Scandal
He has recently been implicated in the Anglo Leasing scandal in a report published on 22 January 2006 by John Githongo
John Githongo (born 1965) is a former Kenyan journalist who investigated bribery and fraud in his home country (Kenya) and later, under the presidency of Mwai Kibaki, took on an official governmental position to fight corruption. In 2005 he lef ...
. He has insisted upon his innocence and refused to resign, saying he saw no reason to. In February 2006 eighty Members of Parliament demanded his resignation, threatening street protests if their requests were not met. A few days later protestors on the streets of Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
called for his resignation as part of a wider anti-corruption demonstration. After this was not achieved, the Social Reform Centre said that he was undermining the integrity of his office in refusing to step down and promised to continue protesting. In a 22 February interview with the Public Accounts Committee Awori blamed civil servants, claiming to have been misled and that he had had nothing to do with any wrongdoing."Kenyan VP passes buck over graft"
BBC News, 22 February 2006.
Awards
Moody Awori the founder chairman of the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries.
He holds an honorary doctor of laws degree from the Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospita ...
in the United States of America. He was awarded the degree in May 2004 in recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the disadvantaged in society, particularly the disabled and the poor.
tute of Secretaries.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the nation and the society in general, the Kenyan Government decorated him with two high level State awards – Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) and Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH).
On the eve of his 91st birthday, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him the chair of the Sports Funds Board, saying that young people have for far too long been appointed to those positions but failed to stop theft of public funds, so it was time to try an older Kenyan. The President asked Kenyans who thought Uncle Moody was too old for the task to leave him alone.
References
External links
A Kenyan newspaper article on the Awori's role in the Anglo Leasing scandal
*BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
Article on Awori's involvement in the scandal
Southern New Hampshire University Catalog 2012-2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awori, Moody
1928 births
Living people
Vice-presidents of Kenya
Kenyan Roman Catholics
Makerere University alumni
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
Kenya African National Union politicians
National Rainbow Coalition politicians
Members of the National Assembly (Kenya)
Government ministers of Kenya
Alumni of Mang'u High School
Alumni of Kakamega School
Elders of the Order of the Burning Spear
People from Butere