Ex-Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi, 95, dies
FORMER Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi passed away at the age of 95 yesterday morning at the Nairobi Hospital in the presence of his family, President Uhuru Kenyatta said.
He died peacefully in hospital at 5:20am, surrounded by his family, said his son Gideon Moi, a senator.
There was no immediate explanation for Moi’s death, but he had been in and out of hospital with breathing problems in recent months.
“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,” Kenyatta said in his proclamation.
“Our nation and our continent were immensely blessed by the dedication and service of the late Mzee Moi, who spent almost his entire adult life serving
Kenya and
Africa in a number of capacities,” said
Kenyatta.
Kenyatta said the former president, who governed Kenya for 24 years until 2002 when he retired from politics, leaving a rich legacy behind him, served Kenya as an educator, a teacher, a legislator, a parliament member, a cabinet minister, the vice-president and finally as the president. He has succeeded in keeping Kenya more stable compared to many of its troubled neighbors in the region emerging from colonial rule.
Moi came to power in 1978, when he was serving as vicepresident and the nation’s first leader President Jomo Kenyatta died. He won elections in 1992 and 1997 amid divided opposition.
Term limits forced him to step down in 2002 and he lived quietly for years on his estate in the Rift Valley.
Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Jomo Kenyatta, was Moi’s preferred successor but lost the election to the opposition. Uhuru Kenyatta became president in 2013.
“His legacy endures in Kenya even to this day, encapsulated in the Nyayo philosophy of ‘peace, love and unity’ that was his mantra throughout his tenure as our head of state and government,” said Kenyatta.
But he oversaw massive corruption scandals that are still costing Kenyan taxpayers. The economy stagnated under Moi, leaving millions in poverty.
(Agencies)