The former teacher who became Kenya’s longest-serving President and transformed the country’s political landscape with his iron-fist rule for more than two decades died at the Nairobi Hospital in the early hours of February 4, 2020.
He was 95.
Making the announcement in a presidential proclamation, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the former head of State passed on in the presence of his family.
“It is with profound sadness and sorrow that I announce the passing of a Great African Statesman, H.E. Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, the Second President of the Republic of Kenya. His Excellency the Former President passed on at the Nairobi Hospital on the early morning of this 4th February, 2020; in the presence of his family,” Mr Kenyatta said in a statement.
But his admirers describe Moi as an African statesman – the man who kept the Kenyan nation together amidst the turmoil experienced in the neighbouring Uganda, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia – a feat he positively used to dismiss his ardent Western critics who were pushing him to open the political space.
Although the former president has been ailing for some time, little was known about his poor health which was kept within the family. Occasionally, when admitted to hospital, his press team would say he had been taken for “routine check-ups”.
Moi ruled Kenya for 24 years between 1978 and 2002 and was always portrayed as vibrant and healthy. If he had any ailments, during that period, it was concealed from the public.
Unlike his predecessor, Jomo Kenyatta, whose struggle with a heart problem and gout was public knowledge, Moi and his handlers had a desire to keep his physical condition secret at the time of his presidency.
WORKAHOLIC
Moi was a workaholic – at least before he retired – and kept fit for his age. He never used a walking stick in public – opting to keep off from the glare. Even when he experienced troubled eyesight, later on, it was the font size to his speech which was increased rather than Moi wear reading glasses in public. It is only once, during his presidency, that Moi publicly acknowledged he had been unwell after he returned from an eye surgery in Israel and after prodding by the opposition.
