By Leo Odera Omolo

CONTARY to claims in some quarters that his popularity and influence has fizzled, the retired President Daniel Arap Moi is still not only commanding large following in this country, but he is a force to reckon with.

Despite of successive failure of candidates he had been fronting in the recent past, the political image of this grand old man of Kenya’s politics has refused to fade away as quickly as his political enemies and detrecters may be wishing.

The fact that his favorite candidates in the recently concluded by-elections in the Rift Valley, his home turf and in North Eastern were badly beaten has changed nothing in terms of Moi’s fame, image and standing in the public eyes. The man is highly respected and referred as achievers in his own right. His name remained a household in many Kenyan families.

Moi’s only mistake was his handing over of the mantle of KANU leadership to the son of his old friend and mentor, the late President Jomo Kenyatta, Mr. Uhuru Mungai Kenyatta whose inconsistency and lack of foresight has sent the party of Uhuru to its deathbed

Moi’s departure from active politics has created the leadership vacuum in his home region. Five years after he left the corridor power, Rift Valley, is increasingly a restive region, a veritable political hotbed. This may be so partly because of the hangover arising from the long power binge to speak, and partly because of a growing numbers of frustrated young people

These young people have been envigorated and motivated by the fact that since the end of Moi’s rule in 2002 and he entry of President Mwai Kibaki’s administration, the larger Kalenjin Community has been heard in certain quarters grumbling that their community has been given a raw deal by the new government despite Moi’s blessing and unswerving support for the President and the government..

Topping the list of numerous complaints is the allegationst that members of the community has been haunted out of government and in Quasi-government organizations and their places in civil services, military, police and parastatals taken over by members of President Kibaki’s Kikuyu community

This is mirrored on the latest charged political atmosphere in the Province. The feeling has mainly been demonstrated in the new political direction that the community has been taking since the end of the Moi’s rule

Since 2003, the political trend and sentiments in Rift valley has been fiercely anti-government. It is also a strange world for the community that has been supportive to the successive KANU governments ever since independence in 1963,but all of a sudden finding itself unfamiliar grounds, the natural reaction would be to feeling of being sidelined and unfairly targeted

But what is currently fueling animosity is the so-called “amnesty debate “. This is an emotional issue. Anyone who speaks against the granting amnesty to the perpetrators of the post-election violence is seen as the worst enemy of the community.

And this why President Kibaki hardliner cabinet Minister Ms Martha Karua earned massive booing and hackling when she addressed the thousands of mourners during the funeral of the former Assistant Minister for Home-Affairs and the Sotik MP Ms. Lorna Laboso.

The next day at Kaparuso village in Bomet President Kibaki deviated from amnesty debate and delivered a reconciliatory speech while mourning his departed Road Minster Kipkalia Kones, The hero and the man who has been playing populist politics in kipsigis land for decades.

In their final parting act with the retired President Moi in the 1980s Kones had become the villain of Kalenjin politics because of his independent mindedness. But last weekend Moi’s condolence message stunned many mourners as it was full of political dynamism and magnanirmly, and sounded reconciliatory between the two political giants of the Kalenjin politics. In particular and Rift valley province in general.

Moi’s massage was read by his son Gideon Moi and appeared to have been well received by the mourners,. who turned in t5heir thousands to give Donald Kipkemoi Kipkalya Kones a warm sends off. The way and the manner in which Moi’s message was received by mourners at Kones’s funeral is a clear indication that the self-proclaimed professor of Kenya’s political is still held in the highest esteem by his Kalenjin community and Kenyan communities at large.

But for Mzee Moi to re-print the absolute authority within the larger Kalenjin ethnic groups and Kenyans in general, he must come out in full colour and support a group of youthful politicians in the region who want to take over the leadership of his old party KANU.The party’s revitalization process must start forthwith.

The amnesty debate is such a thorny issue in the Rift Valley since many residents see the continued incarceration of violence suspects as the extension of the purported and perceived persecution as well as marginalization of the Kalenjin community by the Kibaki government.

Calls by grand coalition partners who are led by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Agriculture Minister William Ruto for the perdon of the suspects strike a particular positive note among the population

Moi has yet to make his stand publicly known over the amnesty issue and the sooner he makes up his mind contribution towards this debate the better. And off course many people are aware, that the retired president was also a victim of the post-election violence which saw part of his business and farming empire vandalized.>He is still expected to take a fatherly stand. .

In the forthcoming by-elections to fill the vacant seats in both Sotik and Bomet constituencies Moi is expected to support Nick Salat in Bomet who was beaten hand down by the late Kipkalya Kones in the December election and who is known to be close to the former President

But in Bomet constituency the fate of the vacant seat was sealed off last Saturday when a huge crowd of mourners unanimously endorsed Mrs. Beatrice Kones as the next MP to take her husband’s mantle of leadership in order to finish her late husband’s dream and complete development projects which the late kones he had initiated.

In the recent by election in Ainamoi Moi had supported a KANU candidate Mr. Paul Chirchir who performed dismally gathering only 1,440 votes against leading candidates Benjamin Langat of ODM 17,532 and Dr. Paul Chepkwony 15,552

In North eastern where Moi held considerable sway in his days and where pockets of his support is catered for by Dr. Adbullahi Ali was beaten by ODM: Mohammed Gobow by more than a thousand votes

In Kilgoris, Moi candidate and former cabinet minister Julius Sunkuli had to give way to two leading aspirants, Gideon Konchellah,of PNU, the eventual winner and the challenger Jonathan Ng’eno of ODM who gave a good account of himself by loosing narrowly and respectably.

Virtually all of the Moi candidates in the Rift Valley including his favorite Son Gideon who was swept away in December 2007 in Baringo Central, the seat on which he has held for close to 42 years of uninterrupted representation., ever since independence.

His two sons Jonathan Toroitich and Raymond Moi who both vied for Eldama Ravine and Rongai respectively were similarly humiliated in protect of their father’s support for President, PNU and the government

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:06:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: MOI IS STILL A POPULAR LEADER IN KENYA DESPITE OF KANU’S WANING INFLUENCE