Presidency of Daniel Moi

Last updated

Daniel arap Moi 1979b.jpg
Moi in 1979
Presidency of Daniel Moi
22 August 1978 30 December 2002
Daniel arap Moi

The presidency of Daniel arap Moi began on 22 August 1978, when Daniel arap Moi was sworn in as the 2nd President of Kenya, and ended on 30 December 2002. Moi, a KANU party member, took office following the death of the then president Jomo Kenyatta on the same day. He was sworn as interim president for 90 days during which the country was to prepare for a presidential election to be held on 8 November. Moi won reelections in 1988, 1992 and 1997, defeating Mwai Kibaki in the latter two elections. He was succeeded by Mwai Kibaki in 2002. He died at the age of 95 on 4 February 2020

Contents

1978 presidential election

Following the death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 22 August 1978, Moi became acting president. According to the Old Constitution, a new president was to be elected within 90 days following the demise of the sitting president. As a necessity, Moi was sworn in as the president since he was the vice president at the time of Kenyatta's death.

Campaign and manifesto

Special presidential election for the balance of Kenyatta's term was held on 8 November, 90 days later. Moi was the sole candidate. He received strong support mainly because Kenyans were weary of the ruling party and their leader, Jomo Kenyatta. Kenyatta had appointed his kinsmen and tribesmen within the Kikuyu community in all the important positions of government, earning the name Kiambu Mafia. Because Moi was a Kalenjin and, therefore, an outsider, people regarded him as the best replacement to bring nationalism back to the country.

During his campaign in 1978, Moi promised to have an inclusive government, battle tribalism, corruption and improve the economy. These promises earned him an unopposed presidential bid, leading to his unanimous election to office. Within days after his appointment, Moi freed 26 prisoners who had been detained without trial. He cracked down drunkards and spoke openly against abuse of office. Kenyans were convinced he was on the road to deliver his campaign promises and manifesto.

Politics and appointments

After he became president, Moi appointed Kibaki to be his vice president. Moi quickly consolidated his power, banning opposition parties and promoting his Kalenjin countrymen to positions of authority at the expense of the Kikuyu. He also curried favour with the army. [1] Despite his popularity, however, Moi was too weak to consolidate his power and relied hugely on Kibaki to wield power. [2] Moi appointed people who were loyal to him and unopposed to his leadership. Like Kenyatta, he appointed people mainly from his ethnic group into important leadership positions and stemmed opposition through brute force and arrests.

Learning from fellow African leaders like Mugabe, Moi quickly became dictatorial and started ruling with an iron fist. His ruling party had absolute authority over the country's judicial and politics, while he had supreme authority over all governance issues. [3] Moi was above the law and his word was law, and this led to his legislation in 1982, which made Kenya a de jure one-party state. As a consequence, Moi banned opposition of the ruling party, KANU and frequently vetoed decisions made my parliament. [3]

Moi consolidated all powers and all forms of authority reported to him, including (Provincial Commissioners[PCs], the District Commissioners[DCs], and District Officers [DOs]) who are civil servants. [4]

Dissension against his presidency and attempted coup

As his presidency progressed towards a dictatorship government, Moi started facing opposition within his party as well as outside. To deal with this emerging opposition, Moi further centralised power, consolidated his cabinet and started arresting opponents. The concerns about corruption, tribalism, and freeing prisoners were a thing of the past. When Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and George Anyona sought to register a socialist opposition party in 1982, Moi struck back using the law he had passed to criminalise competitive politics and criticism of his leadership. [5] Moi introduced Amendment Act, Number 7 of 1982 to parliament, which introduced Section 2(A) transforming the country into a de jure one-party state by introducing the detention laws which had been suspended in 1978.

On 1 August 1982, a group of Kenya Air Force officers attempted a military coup to overthrow Moi's presidency. The attempt was stopped but it resulted to the death of between 600 and 1,200 people. This only reinforced Moi's urge to consolidate his powers and become more authoritarian. Moi twice again amended the constitution to cripple oversight authorities such as the Judicial Services Commission and the Attorney General's office by removing their security tenure.

Furtherance of the authoritarian rule

Moi continued to implement authoritarian rule throughout his tenure in office beyond parliament. He introduced queuing as a voting method, which brought large-scale election rigging into mainstream practice. As a result, Kenyans thus lost their right to vote for parliamentary candidates of their choice as disputes arising out of nominations were often referred to the president personally as the final arbiter, who in turn made decisions in favour of his candidates.

Subsequent terms

With no opposition party to rival, Moi's KANU faced weak political candidates and won the presidency in 1988. When multiparty politics were finally allowed in the county, Moi used power and influence to cause disagreements within the opposing parties, which helped him win the 1992 re-election with a wide margin.

A number of the champions of multiparty politics were arrested, detained without trial and tortured, including John Khaminwa, Raila Odinga, Mohammed Ibrahim, Gitobu Imanyara, Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia. Suppression of freedom of the press, assembly, association, expression and movement and other fundamental rights of individuals were extended to the press, and non-governmental organizations. In 1991 Moi banned the production of George Orwell's Animal Farm. He also banned Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's play Ngaahika Ndeenda (Kikuyu for, "I Will Marry When I Want") considered by the regime to be subversive because it attacks post-independence African dictators.

Achievements

During Moi's term as president, Kenya achieved a number of successes, including becoming a multiparty democracy, opening the JKIA. Kenya's economy also remained above that of other East African countries despite the country remaining a poor country until the presidency of Kibaki.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Kenya</span>

A part of Eastern Africa, the territory of what is known as Kenya has seen human habitation since the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. The Bantu expansion from a West African centre of dispersal reached the area by the 1st millennium AD. With the borders of the modern state at the crossroads of the Bantu, Nilo-Saharan and Afro-Asiatic ethno-linguistic areas of Africa, Kenya is a truly multi-ethnic state. The Wanga Kingdom was formally establsihed in the late 17th century. The kingdom covered from the Jinja in Uganda to Naivasha in the East of Kenya. This is the first time the Wanga people and Luhya tribe were united and led by a centralized leader, a king, known as the Nabongo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel arap Moi</span> President of Kenya from 1978 to 2002

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the third vice president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President Jomo Kenyatta, becoming the president following the latter's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya African National Union</span> Political party in Kenya

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 1944 but due to pressure from the colonial government, KAU changed its name to Kenya African Study Union (KASU) mainly because all political parties were banned in 1939 following the start of the Second World War. In 1946 KASU rebranded itself into KAU following the resignation of Harry Thuku as president due to internal differences between the moderates who wanted peaceful negotiations and the militants who wanted to use force, the latter forming the Aanake a forty, which later became the Mau Mau. His post was then occupied by James Gichuru, who stepped down for Jomo Kenyatta in 1947 as president of KAU. The KAU was banned by the colonial government from 1952 to 1960. It was re-established by James Gichuru in 1960 and renamed KANU on 14 May 1960 after a merger with Tom Mboya's Kenya Independence Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mwai Kibaki</span> President of Kenya from 2002 to 2013

Emilio Mwai Kibaki was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Kenya</span> Head of state and government of Kenya

The president of the Republic of Kenya is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The president is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. The country's current president is William Ruto since 13 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya African Democratic Union</span> Political party in Kenya

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 by Moi's Kalenjin Political Alliance, the Masai United Front, the Kenya African Peoples Party, the Coast African Political Union, Masinde Muliro's Baluhya Political Union and the Somali National Front. The separate tribal organisations were to retain their identity and so, from the very start, KADU based its political approach on tribalism. KADU's aim was to defend the interests of the so-called KAMATUSA as well as the British settlers, against the imagined future dominance of the larger Luo and Kikuyu that comprised the majority of KANU's membership, when it became inevitable that Kenya will achieve its independence. The KADU objective was to work towards a multiracial self government within the existing colonial political system. After release of Jomo Kenyatta, KADU was becoming increasingly popular with European settlers and, on the whole, repudiated Kenyatta's leadership. KADU's plan at Lancaster meetings was devised by European supporters, essentially to protect prevailing British settlers land rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalonzo Musyoka</span> 10th Vice President of Kenya

Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African National Union party (1980-1988), Assistant Minister for Works (1986-1988), Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (1988-1992), Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1993 until 1998, Minister of Education (1998-2001); and subsequently, under the late President Mwai Kibaki, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs again from 2003 to 2004, then Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2007 presidential election, after which he was appointed vice-president by Kibaki in January 2008.

The Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Association (GEMA) is an organisation in Kenya created to presumably advance the social and political needs of the Eastern Kenya Bantu people of Gikuyu, Embu, and Meru who though are closely related linguistically and culturally but don't have common mythologies or history. It was founded in 1971, with an economic arm, GEMA Holdings.

Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba was a Kenyan politician and an activist for democracy. He came in at second place in the 1992 presidential election. In November 2007, he announced that he would stand as a presidential candidate in the December 2007 election. Matiba placed seventh, with 8,046 votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Ruto</span> President of Kenya since 2022

William Kipchirchir Samoei arap Ruto is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected deputy president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Previously, holders of the position were referred to as Vice President and the officeholder was unelected and appointed by the President. He previously served in three cabinet portfolios as the Minister for Home Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture and as Minister for Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raila Odinga</span> Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013

Raila Amolo Odinga is a Kenyan politician who was the prime minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has been the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013. He is the leader of Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Saitoti</span> 6th Vice President of Kenya

George Musengi Saitoti, E.G.H. was a Kenyan politician, businessman and American- and British-trained economist, mathematician and development policy thinker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Michuki</span> Kenyan politician and businessman

John Njoroge Michuki was a Kenyan politician and businessman. He was born at Muguru, village, Iyego Location, Kangema Division in Murang’a District. He was educated in Kenya and abroad. Michuki emerged as one of the prominent and long-serving civil servants and politicians as well as a businessman in Kenya. Michuki served Kenya in various capacities, including Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Chairman of the Kenya Commercial Bank, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. He was serving his 4th five-year term as a Member of Parliament for Kangema Constituency. Michuki had a reputation as a "ruthless" and efficient manager, and was widely acknowledged as among the best performing ministers in President Kibaki's Government. He was serving as the Minister for Environment and National Resources at the time of his death.

Koigi wa Wamwere is a Kenyan politician, human rights activist, journalist and writer. Koigi became famous for opposing both the Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi regimes, both of whom sent him to detention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Kenyan general election</span> 2002 General Elections in Kenya

General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2002. Voters elected the President, and members of the National Assembly. They coincided with the 2002 Kenyan local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Kenyan general election</span>

General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2007. Voters elected the President, and members of the National Assembly. They coincided with the 2007 Kenyan local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majimbo</span>

Majimbo is a Swahili term that is commonly used in Kenya to refer to the idea of political devolution of power to the country's regions. It is alleged by critics, including former vice-president Oginga Odinga in his book Not Yet Uhuru, to have been coined by European settlers in Kenya's White Highlands region, around the time of independence in 1963, who preferred to retain an autonomous, ethnically based governance over the region. It has also been alleged, by some of its critics, that majimbo is a pretext for the type of communal violence that has plagued Kenya's elections especially since the return of multiparty politics. In his autobiography Illusions of Power, G.G Kariuki, a long serving KANU Member of Parliament, goes as far as to allege the existence of a plot to instigate communal violence in Kenya's independence elections by supporters of a Majimbo system of government.

James Nyamweya was a Kenyan politician who served in ministerial, parastatal, and political party leadership positions in both the Kenyatta and Moi governments from 1965 to 1995. He was Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Assistant Minister in the Office of the President, Minister of State in charge of External Affairs Foreign Minister, Minister of State in charge of Provincial Administration, Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Minister for Works, Minister for Power and Communication, Minister for Labour, Chairman Electoral Boundaries Commission, and National Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Njenga Karume</span> Kenyan businessman and politician

James Njenga Karume was a Kenyan businessman and politician. He was born in Elementaita, Nakuru District.

The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Kenya (TJRC) was established in 2008. Kenya’s modern history has been marked not only by liberation struggles but also by ethnic conflicts, semi-despotic regimes, marginalization and political violence, including the coup d'état of 1982, the Shifta War, and the 2007 Post-election violence.

References

  1. "Daniel arap Moi | president of Kenya". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  2. Miller, Norman; Yeager, Rodger (9 March 2018). Kenya. doi:10.4324/9780429493560. ISBN   9780429493560.
  3. 1 2 "Daniel Arap Moi Facts". biography.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  4. "Human rights abuse in Africa". University of Florida. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006.
  5. "Human Rights Abuse in Kenya under Daniel Arap Moi, 1978-2001".

"Constitutional Law According to Mr. Justice Dugdale" Nairobi Law Monthly, 34 (19910: 15-16).