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 president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President
Jomo Kenyatta, becoming president following the latter's death.
Born into the
Tugen sub-group of the
Kalenjin people in the Kenyan Rift Valley, Moi studied as a boy at the
Africa Inland Mission
Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...
school before training as a teacher at the Tambach teachers training college, working in that profession until 1955. He then entered politics and was elected a member of the Legislative Council for Rift Valley. As independence approached, Moi joined the Kenyan delegation which travelled to London for the
Lancaster House Conferences, where the country's first post-independence constitution was drafted. In 1960 he founded the
Kenya African Democratic Union
The Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) was a political party in Kenya. It was founded in 1960 when several leading politicians refused to join Jomo Kenyatta's Kenya African National Union (KANU). It was led by Ronald Ngala who was joined b ...
(KADU) as a rival party to Kenyatta's
Kenya African National Union
The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 19 ...
(KANU). Following independence in 1963 Kenyatta, who became
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
and later President of the new nation, convinced Moi to merge the two parties. Kenyatta appointed Moi to his government in 1964 and then promoted him to vice-president in 1967. Despite opposition from a
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
elite known as the
Kiambu Mafia, Kenyatta groomed Moi as his successor, and he took over as president when Kenyatta died in 1978.
Initially popular both nationally and in
Western countries
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. , who saw his regime as countering against influences from the
Eastern Bloc-aligned governments of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, Moi's popularity fell around 1990 as the economy stagnated after the end of the
Cold War. Following the agitation and external pressure, he was forced to allow multiparty elections in 1991; he then led his party, KANU, to victory in the
1992 and
1997 elections, both of which have generally been regarded as neither free nor fair by independent observers. Constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, Moi chose
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
as his successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition leader
Mwai Kibaki in the 2002 general election and Kibaki replaced Moi as president. Kenyatta would eventually win the presidency in the
2013 election.
Moi's regime was deemed dictatorial and autocratic, especially before 1992, when Kenya was a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
. Human rights organisations such as
Amnesty International, as well as a special investigation by the United Nations, accused Moi of
human rights abuses
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
during his presidency. Inquiries held after the end of his presidency found evidence that Moi and his sons had engaged in significant levels of corruption, including the 1990s
Goldenberg scandal
The Goldenberg scandal was a political scandal where the Kenyan government was found to have subsidised exports of gold far beyond standard arrangements during the 1990s, by paying the company Goldenberg International 35% more (in Kenyan shilling ...
.
Early life and entry into politics
Moi was born Toroitich arap (son of) Moi, Toroitich meaning "welcome home the cattle" in the
Rift Valley
A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear d ...
village of Kuriengwo, which is now in the
Sacho division of
Baringo County
Baringo County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its headquarters and largest town is Kabarnet. The county is home to Lake Baringo.
Geographical location
Baringo bounded by Turkana County an ...
,
Moi's father, Kimoi arap Chebii, died in 1928. Moi was only four then and little is known about his mother, Kabon. What is known is that his elder brother, Tuitoek, became his guardian and that he was one of the herdsboys from Sacho location recommended to join the new
Africa Inland Mission
Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...
(AIM) School at
Kabartonjo in 1934 before it was shifted to
Kapsabet.
He was from the
Tugen sub-group of the
Kalenjin people.
At the African Mission School at Kabartonjo, Moi became a Christian and adopted the name Daniel.
Moi attended Tambach Teachers Training College, after its relocation from Kabartonjo, from 1945 to 1947. This is after the colonial government denied him a chance to enroll at
Alliance High School. He later attended Kagumo Teacher's College.
and taught classes at Tambach Teacher's Training College. Later he became the headmaster of a school in the
Keiyo District Keiyo District (also known as ''Elgeyo district'' or Elgeiyo) is a defunct administrative district in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The district was formed in 1994, when ''Elgeyo/Marakwet-District'' was split into two - the other half wa ...
. He worked as a teacher from 1946 until 1955.
In 1955 Moi entered politics when he was elected Member of the Legislative Council for Rift Valley. He was the chosen replacement of Dr. John ole Tameno, the former representative who had had to quit due to heavy drinking and suspected connections to the freedom movement. In 1957 Moi was re-elected Member of the Legislative Council for Rift Valley. Moi was part of the Kenyan delegation at the
Lancaster House Conferences in London, which drafted the country's first post-independence constitution, and in 1961 became Minister of Education in the pre-independence government.
In 1960 he founded the
Kenya African Democratic Union
The Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) was a political party in Kenya. It was founded in 1960 when several leading politicians refused to join Jomo Kenyatta's Kenya African National Union (KANU). It was led by Ronald Ngala who was joined b ...
(KADU) with Ronald Ngala as a
political alternative to the
Kenya African National Union
The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 19 ...
(KANU) led by Jomo Kenyatta. KADU pressed for a
federalist constitution, while KANU was in favour of
a centralized government. The advantage lay with the numerically stronger KANU, and the first post-independence constitution emphasised national unity, structuring the country as a unitary state.
Vice-Presidency
![Paul Kiplimo Boit and Daniel Moi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Paul_Kiplimo_Boit_and_Daniel_Moi.jpg)
After Kenya gained independence on 12 December 1963, Kenyatta convinced Moi that KADU and KANU should be merged to complete the process of decolonisation. Accordingly, KADU dissolved and joined KANU in 1964. The only real challenge to KANU's dominance came from the
Kenya People's Union
The Kenya People's Union (KPU) was a socialist political party in Kenya led by Oginga Odinga. The party was banned in 1969.
History
Formation
In March 1966 a left-wing faction of the governing Kenya African National Union (KANU) instigated a ...
, starting in 1966. That party was banned in 1969, and from that point onward Kenya was a de facto
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
dominated by the
Kĩkũyũ-
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
alliance. However, with an eye on the fertile lands of the Rift Valley populated by members of Moi's
Kalenjin Kalenjin may refer to:
* Kalenjin people
The Kalenjin are a group of tribes designated as Highland Nilotes and are descended from Maliri people ''(thus related to Daasanach of Ethiopia.)'' The Kalenjin are cousins with Datooga people of Tan ...
tribe, Kenyatta secured their support by first promoting Moi to Minister for Home Affairs in 1964, and then to
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 ...
in 1967. As a member of a minority tribe Moi was also an acceptable compromise for the major tribes. Moi was elected to the
Kenyan parliament in 1963 from
Baringo North. From 1966 until his retirement in 2002 he served as the MP for
Baringo Central in addition to his various other offices.
However, Moi faced opposition from the Kikuyu elite known as the
Kiambu Mafia, who would have preferred one of their own to accede to the presidency. This resulted in an attempt by the constitutional drafting group to change the constitution to prevent the vice-president automatically assuming power in the event of the president's death. However, many senior Kikuyu politicians, including
Mwai Kibaki and
Charles Njonjo
Charles Mugane Njonjo (23 January 1920 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan lawyer who served as Attorney General of Kenya from 1963 to 1979, and Minister of Constitutional Affairs and the member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency from 1980 to 1 ...
, as well as Kenyatta himself, opposed such a change to the
order of succession
An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.[political instability Political decay is a political theory, originally described by Samuel P. Huntington, which describes how chaos and disorder can arise from social modernization increasing more rapidly than political and institutional modernization. Huntington provid ...]
if Kenyatta died, given his advanced age and perennial illnesses. Thus, Moi's position as successor to Kenyatta was safeguarded.
Presidency
![Kenya presidential standard DANIEL ARAP MOI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Kenya_presidential_standard_DANIEL_ARAP_MOI.svg)
When Jomo Kenyatta died on 22 August 1978, Moi became acting president. Per the Constitution, a
special presidential election for the balance of Kenyatta's term was to be held on 8 November, 90 days later. However, a Cabinet meeting decided that no-one else was interested in running for president and thus various politicians began campaigning across the country for Moi to be declared unopposed. He was therefore sworn in as the second President of Kenya on 14 October 1978 as a result of the
walkover
John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...
electoral process.
In the beginning, Moi was popular, with widespread support all over the country. He toured the country and came into contact with the people everywhere, which was in great contrast to Kenyatta's imperious style of government from behind closed doors. However, political realities dictated that he would continue to be beholden to the system of government that Kenyatta had created and to whose headship he had acceded, including the nearly dictatorial powers vested in his office. Despite his popularity, Moi was still unable to fully consolidate his power. From the beginning,
anti-communism
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
was an important theme of Moi's government; speaking on the new President's behalf, Vice-President
Mwai Kibaki bluntly stated, "There is no room for
Communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
in Kenya."
On 1 August 1982, lower-level Air Force personnel, led by Senior
Private Grade-I
Hezekiah Ochuka
Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka, (alias Awour) (23 July 1953 – 9 July 1987) was Senior Private in the Kenya Air Force, who ruled Kenya for about six hours after planning and executing a coup against president Daniel arap Moi. Hezekiah Ochuka was the c ...
and backed by university students,
attempted a coup d'état to oust Moi. The revolt was quickly suppressed by military and police forces commanded by Chief of General Staff
Mahamoud Mohamed
General Mohamud Haji Mohamed Barrow ( so, Maxamuud Maxamed) is a former Kenyan military commander, and was Chief of General Staff of the Kenyan military and Commander Kenya Army.
Career
Mohamed was born to an ethnic Somali community in northeas ...
. There may have been two or even three independent groups attempting to seize power at the same time, for differing reasons, but the most serious was led by prominent Kikuyu politicians and members of the police and armed forces.
Moi took the opportunity to dismiss political opponents and consolidate his power. He reduced the influence of Kenyatta's men in the cabinet through a long-running judicial enquiry that resulted in the identification of key Kenyatta men as traitors. Moi pardoned them but not before establishing their traitor status in the public view. The main conspirators in the coup, including Ochuka, were sentenced to death, marking the last judicial executions in Kenya. He appointed supporters to key roles and changed the constitution to formally make KANU the only legally permitted party in the country. However, this made little practical difference to the political situation, as all significant opposition parties had been outlawed since 1969. Kenya's academics and other intelligentsia did not accept this and educational institutions across the country became the site of movements that sought to introduce democratic reforms. However, Kenyan
secret police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of ...
infiltrated these groups and many members moved into exile.
Marxism
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...
could no longer be taught at Kenyan universities. The remaining opposition at home went underground.
![Dr Banda is welcomed in Kenya by Daniel Arap Moi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Dr_Banda_is_welcomed_in_Kenya_by_Daniel_Arap_Moi.jpg)
Starting in the late 1980s, Moi's regime faced the
end of the Cold War
End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to:
End
*In mathematics:
**End (category theory)
** End (topology)
** End (graph theory)
** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous)
** End (endomorphism)
*In sports and games
** End (gridiron footb ...
, as well as a national economy stagnating under rising oil prices and falling prices for agricultural commodities. Western governments also became more hostile to the KANU regime, a change of policy from the time of the Cold War, when Kenya had been viewed as an important regional stabilizer, preventing the spread of Soviet influence beyond
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
, and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
. During that time, Kenya had received much foreign aid, and the country was accepted as a stable, if authoritarian, regime with Moi and the KANU firmly in charge. Western allies overlooked the increasing degree of
political repression, including the use of
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...
at the infamous
Nyayo House
Nyayo House is a skyscraper in Nairobi, Kenya. It hosts several government departments such as immigration (the State Department for Immigration, Border Control, and Regulation of Persons) and also serves as the headquarters of Nairobi Province. ...
torture chambers. Some of the evidence of these torture cells was exposed in 2003 after opposition leader
Mwai Kibaki became president.
![Prince Michael Moi of Kenya is welcomed upon his arrival for a visit to the United States - DPLA - 56e0485545d8c2ebff29726c93a2e1e7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Prince_Michael_Moi_of_Kenya_is_welcomed_upon_his_arrival_for_a_visit_to_the_United_States_-_DPLA_-_56e0485545d8c2ebff29726c93a2e1e7.jpeg)
With the fall of the Soviet Union and a lessening need to counter
socialist influence in the region, Western policymakers changed their policy towards Moi, increasingly regarding him as a
despotic ruler rather than an important regional stabilizer. Foreign aid was withheld pending compliance with economic and political reforms. One of the key conditions imposed on his regime, especially by the United States through fiery ambassador
Smith Hempstone, was the restoration of a
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in ...
. Despite his own lack of enthusiasm for the reintroduction of a multi-party system, Moi managed to win over his party who were against the reform. Moi announced his intention to repeal Section 2(A) of the constitution, lifting the ban on opposition parties, at a KANU conference in
Kasarani
Kasarani is a commercial and residential neighbourhood in Nairobi. Kasarani is also used in reference to the city's sub-county with the same name, which spans through neighbourhoods in the northeastern areas of Nairobi. Located within the larg ...
in December 1991. Despite fierce debate and opposition from many delegates, the conference passed the motion unanimously.
Despite the presence of opposition parties, Moi and the KANU were returned to power in the first multi-party elections in
1992 and once again in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
. Both elections were marred by
political violence on the part of both the government and opposition forces. Moi skilfully exploited Kenya's mix of ethnic tensions in these contests, gaining a plurality in both elections through a mix of picking up votes across the country while his opponents' support was more concentrated, attracting votes a wide of smaller tribes and the
Luhya, and taking advantage of fears of Kikuyu domination over the non-Kikuyu majority.
In the absence of an effective and organised opposition, Moi had no difficulty in winning. Although it is also suspected that electoral fraud may have occurred, the key to his victory in both elections was a divided opposition. In 1992 he polled 36.3% of the votes, and in 1997 he received 40.4%, but both were comfortable victories due to vote-splitting between the various opposition groups, which failed to field a unity opposition candidate.
Criticism and corruption allegations
![Nyayo Monument 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Nyayo_Monument_2007.jpg)
History judges President Moi harshly as a corrupt individual and kleptomaniac, and fairly so. His entire rule was marred with corruption that literally collapsed the Kenyan economy. By the time his 24-year reign was coming to an end, Kenya's economic growth was at its knees at negatives and 2%.
In 1999 the findings of NGOs like
Amnesty International and a special investigation by the United Nations were published which indicated that
human rights abuse
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
s were prevalent in Kenya under the Moi regime.
Reporting on corruption and human rights abuses by British reporter
Mary Anne Fitzgerald from 1987 to 1988 resulted in her being vilified by the government and finally deported. Moi was implicated in the 1990s
Goldenberg scandal
The Goldenberg scandal was a political scandal where the Kenyan government was found to have subsidised exports of gold far beyond standard arrangements during the 1990s, by paying the company Goldenberg International 35% more (in Kenyan shilling ...
and subsequent cover-ups, where the Kenyan government subsidised exports of gold far in excess of the foreign currency earnings of exporters. In this case, the gold was smuggled from
Congo, as Kenya has negligible gold reserves. The Goldenberg scandal cost Kenya the equivalent of more than 10% of the country's annual GDP.
Half-hearted inquiries that began at the request of foreign aid donors never amounted to anything substantial during Moi's presidency. Although it appears that the
peaceful transfer of power
A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly-elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...
to
Mwai Kibaki may have involved an understanding that Moi would not stand trial for offences committed during his presidency, foreign aid donors reiterated their requests, and Kibaki reopened the inquiry. As the inquiry has progressed, Moi, his two sons, Philip and Gideon (now a Senator), and his daughter, June, as well as a host of high-ranking Kenyans, have been implicated. In testimony delivered in late July 2003, Treasury Permanent Secretary
Joseph Magari recounted that, in 1991, Moi ordered him to pay Ksh34.5 million ($460,000) to Goldenberg, contrary to the laws then in force.
Wangari Maathai
Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (; 1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental and a political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. As a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlift, she studied in the Un ...
discusses Moi's actions during the 1980s and early 1990s in systematically attempting to dismantle the
Greenbelt Movement
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is an indigenous grassroots organization in Kenya that empowers women through the planting of trees. It is one of the most effective and well-known grassroots organisations addressing the problem of global deforest ...
after Maathai voiced displeasure at the government's attempts to build an office tower in
Uhuru Park
Uhuru Park is a 12.9 hectare recreational park adjacent to the central business district of Nairobi, Kenya. It was opened to the general public by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 23 May 1969. It contains an artificial lake, several national monum ...
. According to Maathai, Moi's actions included removing the Greenbelt Movement from government provided office space and attempting to cut off funding from international donors by limiting funding through government sanctioned bodies. Maathai also discusses Moi's tactics during the beginning of the multiparty movement in the 1990s (see
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy was a political party and a movement against the one-party system in Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 ...
) whereby Moi announced the military would take over the government before the December 1992 elections. Maathai received communication during that time that an assassination list had been drawn up, and noted the mysterious deaths of Bishop
Alexander Muge
Alexander Kipsang Muge (1948–1990) was an Anglican bishop in Kenya: he was Bishop of Eldoret from 1983 until his death in 1990.
Muge was born in 1948 and educated at St. Philip's, Maseno. He was ordained deacon in 1975 and priest in 1976. He ...
and
Robert Ouko.
The Release Political Prisoners party was also formed in the early 1990s to secure the release of political prisoners of the Moi regime and to protest state-sanctioned torture and random imprisonment. The police dispersed the protestors and many of the mothers of these political prisoners from Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park on March 3, 1992. After a yearlong vigil and hunger strike by many of the mothers of these political prisoners in the Anglican
All Saints Cathedral near Uhuru Park, the government released 51 prisoners en masse in early 1993.
In October 2006, Moi was found by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes to have taken a bribe from a Pakistani businessman, to award a monopoly of duty-free shops at the country's international airports in Mombasa and Nairobi. The businessman, Ali Nasir, claimed to have paid Moi US$2 million in cash to obtain government approval for the World Duty Free Limited investment in Kenya.
On 31 August 2007, WikiLeaks published a secret report that laid bare a web of shell companies, secret trusts and frontmen that his entourage had used to funnel hundreds of millions of pounds into nearly 30 countries.
Retirement
![George W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/George_W._Bush_-_Daniel_arap_Moi_-_Meles_Zenawi.jpg)
Moi was constitutionally barred from running in the 2002 presidential elections. Some of his supporters floated the idea of amending the constitution to allow him to run for a third term, but Moi preferred to retire, choosing
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
, the son of Kenya's first President, as his successor. However,
Mwai Kibaki was elected president by a two to one majority over Kenyatta, which was confirmed on 29 December 2002. At that point Kibaki required the use of a wheelchair, having narrowly escaped death in a road traffic accident on the campaign trail. Moi handed over power in a poorly organised ceremony that had one of the largest crowds ever seen in Nairobi in attendance. The crowd was openly hostile to Moi.
After leaving office in December 2002, Moi lived in retirement, largely shunned by the political establishment. However, he still retained some popularity with the masses, and his presence never failed to gather a crowd. He spoke out against a proposal for a new constitution in 2005; according to Moi, the document was contrary to the aspirations of the Kenyan people. After the proposal was defeated in a
November 2005 constitutional referendum, President Kibaki called Moi to arrange for a meeting to discuss the way forward.
On 25 July 2007, Kibaki appointed Moi as special peace envoy to
Sudan, referring to Moi's "vast experience and knowledge of African affairs" and "his stature as an elder statesman". In his capacity as peace envoy, Moi's primary task was to help secure peace in southern Sudan, where an agreement, signed in early 2005, was being implemented. At the time, the Kenyan press speculated that Moi and Kibaki were planning an alliance ahead of the
December 2007 election. On 28 August 2007, Moi announced his support for Kibaki's re-election and said that he would campaign for Kibaki. He sharply criticised the two opposition
Orange Democratic Movement
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement which was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augu ...
factions, arguing that they were tribal in nature.
Moi owned the
Kiptagich Tea Factory, established in 1979, which has been involved in controversy. In 2009 the factory was under threat of being closed down by the government during the
Mau Forest evictions.
Personal life
Moi was married to
Lena Moi (née Helena Bomett) from 1950 until their separation in 1974, before his assumption of the presidency. Lena's parents, the Paul Bomett family, were pioneer Christians in Eldama Ravine. They respected Moi, the young, tall, handsome and well-mannered orphan boy.
It was at the Bometts that Moi sought shelter during school holidays, unable to return home, 160 kilometres away, like the older boys.
He would also stay at the home of the Christian family of
Isaiah Chesire, the father of Kanu's nominated MP
Zipporah Kittony, and former Eldoret North MP
Reuben Chesire.
In 1950, after leaving Kagumo Teacher's College, Moi, who had been dating Lena, married her in a church wedding officiated by Erik Barnett, the son of Albert Barnett (after whom
Kabarnet
Kabarnet is a town in Baringo County, Kenya. The town has an urban population of 9,583 and a total population of 24,661 (1999 census).
Geography
At an altitude of 1,815 metres (5,957 feet) Kabarnet is located on the eastern edge of the Kerio Va ...
Town is named) at the AIC mission in Eldama Ravine after he paid two heifers, one ox, and four sheep to the Bomett family. Moi's long-time friend,
Francis Cherogony, was the best man. With the marriage, Lena abandoned her career as a teacher and immersed herself in bringing up her family, settling down with Moi at Tambach Government School, where his first two children, Jennifer and Jonathan Kipkemboi, were born in 1952 and 1953 respectively.
Daniel arap Moi had eight children, five sons and three daughters. Among the children are
Gideon Moi
Gideon Kipsielei Towett Moi (born 22 October 1963) is a Kenyan politician and former senator of Baringo County, from 2013 to 2022. He was elected with a landslide win of over 80%, trouncing his opponent Jackson Kosgei. He is also the party leade ...
, who had a political career of his own in Kenya and the late Jonathan Toroitich (a former
rally
Rally or rallye may refer to:
Gatherings
* Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade
* Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event
Sport ...
driver, died 2019) and Philip Moi (a retired army officer). His older and only brother William Tuitoek died in 1995. He was a lifelong member of the
Africa Inland Mission
Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...
Church, following his enrollment at the church's school in 1934.
Moi was the founder and patron of major schools in Kenya which include Moi Educational Centre, Kabarak High School, Kabarak University and Sunshine Secondary Schools, and Sacho Primary and Secondary, among others.
Death
In October 2019, President Moi was hospitalized under critical condition at
The Nairobi Hospital
The Nairobi Hospital is a private hospital located in upperhill area, Nairobi, Kenya.The hospital was founded in 1954 as a European hospital.
Location
It is located along Argwings Kodhek Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi. The hospital is located approx ...
due to complications of
pleural effusion
A pleural effusion is accumulation of excessive fluid in the pleural space, the potential space that surrounds each lung.
Under normal conditions, pleural fluid is secreted by the parietal pleural capillaries at a rate of 0.6 millilitre per k ...
. He was discharged in November 2019, only to be hospitalized again days later for knee surgery. He developed respiratory complications and underwent a
tracheotomy
Tracheotomy (, ), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision (cut) on the anterior aspect (front) of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The r ...
.
A month later, he suffered from
gastrointestinal hemorrhage
Gastrointestinal bleeding (GI bleed), also called gastrointestinal hemorrhage (GIB), is all forms of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the rectum. When there is significant blood loss over a short time, symptoms may includ ...
which led to
multiple organ failure
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis.
Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...
and was placed on life-support.
[
Moi died at The Nairobi Hospital on the early morning of 4 February 2020, at the age of 95, in the presence of family. However, during Moi's memorial service on 9 February 2020 at his Kabarnet Gardens home in Nairobi. Moi's body lay at the state on parliament building for public view for three days, from 8 February to 10 February 2020. A state funeral service was conducted at Nyayo Stadium on 11 February 2020, before the burial in his Kabarak home in Nakuru county. He was buried at his Kabarak home on 12 February 2020,] complete with military honors which included a 19-gun salute followed by a missing man formation
The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flypast of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot, a well-known military service member or veteran, or a well-known political figure. T ...
flyby. His grave is next to his former wife Lena Bomett.
Legacy
Eponyms
* Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital
*Moi Air Base
Moi Air Base, formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport is a military airport located to the east of Nairobi, in the Eastleigh suburb. The airport is used by the Kenya Air Force. Additionally, the airfield is the home of the East ...
, Nairobi
*Moi International Airport
Moi International Airport is an international airport in Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya. In 2020 the airport was heralded as the "Best Airport in Africa" (with under 2 million passengers annually) by Airports Council International. ...
, Mombasa
*Moi International Sports Centre
The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000 seat arena with a running track and a pitch u ...
, Kasarani, Nairobi
*Moi Stadium
Moi Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Kisumu, Kenya. It used mostly for football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means t ...
, Kisumu
*Moi University
Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from ...
, Eldoret
*Roads and streets:
**Moi Avenue (Mombasa)
Moi Avenue is a primary thoroughfare in Mombasa, Kenya. The road runs from west to east from Kilindini to a roundabout with Digo Road. Originally called the Kilindini Road, its name was later changed in recognition of Kenya's second President ...
**Moi Avenue (Nairobi)
Moi Avenue (formerly First Station Road and Government Road) is a major road inside the Central Business District of Nairobi. It is one of the oldest roads in Nairobi and is intersected by Kenyatta Avenue, City-Hall Way and Haile Selassie Avenue, r ...
See also
*Politics of Kenya
The politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Kenya is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system in accordance with a new constitu ...
* Presidency of Daniel Moi
References
External links
Moi Africa Institute
The looting of Kenya under President Moi
Washington, DC (USA) – February 2000 (an AFRICAN CONNECTIONS documentary)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moi, Daniel Arap
1924 births
2020 deaths
People from Baringo County
Kalenjin people
Kenyan Christians
Kenya African National Union politicians
Kenyan anti-communists
Presidents of Kenya
Vice-presidents of Kenya
Members of the Legislative Council of Kenya
Burials in Kenya