Moi and Biwott are enemies of reform and the Kalenjin-reflections from the Orient

Retired president Daniel Kapkarios Toroitich arap Moi is not a statesman. A retired president in the cadre of the iconic Nelson Mandela and the late Julius Nyerere remain lionised because they did not meddle in way their successors managed the affairs of their parties and the running of the state even though they had immense leverage. That is not with Mr. Moi. Several cases drive me to these painful conclusions.

1. One is the chorus and clamour for ‘Moi should rule for life’. Those calls by his political thermometers (The late Sharif Nassir, RIP and one clownish Barngétuny) should have offered Moi an opportunity to make a statesman’s pledge to the contrary. All he needed to say was “I have led this country for so long and it is time for me to retire”. That he didn’t say that means that the exuberance of his flutes had his tacit support. To me that is failure to seize the moment and I had no doubt in my mind then that Moi’s anti-change campaign was not doing any favour to the Kalenjin. Forget that he grudgingly gave up power to Uhuru Kenyatta. Moi’s choice of Uhuru may have been driven by the misplaced wisdom that the young Kenyatta was inexperienced, unschooled in intrigue and therefore malleable. No wonder that Moi refrained from seasoned politicians that had established a stranglehold on some political constituencies. I am always at a loss as to what might have happened if Moi had backed Saitoti just like Kenyatta backed him.
2. When the clamour for a new constitution finally became inevitable, Moi failed to see how he could immortalise his name in the psyche of Kenyan polity. As a neutral player with no vested interests in the outcome of the constitutional review, Moi had the golden opportunity to midwife the process to conclusion. Not only would the process have benefited from the freedom of the intrigues we see today, the process was nearly complete. Moi chose to dissolve parliament a week to the conference that was meant to ratify the new constitution. Because Moi had gripped the country with fear, chances are that the new constitution would have been passed with few hitches, he could have accented to it and therefore left his signature on the only document that generations to come would always leaf through and find his immortal signature. He could be remembered as the president who destroyed the economy and repented to give Kenyans the instruments to prevent future plunders and blunders. The failure to midwife the process remains one of Mr. Moi's monumental errors of judgement. In my mind, therefore, I only see Moi’s green signature on public land allotment letters giving away public toilets and road reserves to buy political support and shore up sagging fortunes during his wee days in power. Not many people in Nandi country will forever forget that one of the swansongs of the Moi regime was to flood Nandi country with surplus teachers offloaded from his native Baringo. What the implications are on the performance of Nandi schools remains to be seen. Neither shall we , the proud Nandi of Kenya, ever forget the unfairness attending to the way prime portions of the Tanning & Extract land in Eldoret was dished out.
3. Even when Kenyans, in there grace, forgave him for the looting and political assassinations that are all associated with his regime. Moi continues to prick our conscience and reminds us of the ugliness of his misrule. The people of Nandi remember Kenyatta’s regime with nostalgia. Kenyatta had a Nandi State House comptroller, the late Andrew Limo Ng’eny. I don’t need to remind anybody that he was the first and only Nandi to serve in that capacity. His death has had some unanswered querries and it remains to be seen whether Mr. Moi will be forgiven for drawing a blanket caveat on the Nandi thereafter. Consider Jean-Marie Seroney and Miss Chelagat Mutai them of the six-bearded sisters infamy. At independence in 1963, Kenya had five black African lawyers. Charles Mugane Njonjo and the former Deputy Chairman of Lonrho Plc, Uddy Gechaga (Mark Too's predecessor who snatched Mashariki motors from Lonrho because he knew the rights of a director) represented the portion from central Kenya. Argwings Kodhek and Omollo Okero represented the lakeside contribution. Jean-Marie Seroney, Moi’s classmate at Kapsabet High School in 1939 completes the list of the pioneers. What happened to cause the imbalance we see today? Needless to say that Moi went into politics (Legco) courtesy of the Nandi of Kapsabet because the white man believed he was a Nandi from Sacho. When Kenyatta wanted to tame Seroney, Shikuku, Orengo, Mwachofi, Anyona et al, it was Moi doing the foot work. I am at a loss as to whether his recent frequent visits to his former residence of 24 years is not part of that scheme-to do legwork for the current regime. No wonder he was appointed by a mere minister as an ambassador for piece (oops! peace). How else does one explain the coincidence of his visit there and the emergence of a shameless alleged takeover of Kanu by Biwott and his ilk. Is Mr. Moi angling to shepherd Biwott’s tribal outfit into a marriage of convenience with Narc-Kenya as a convenient way to seek forgiveness for raping the country? Biwott has some questions lingering over his head regarding some issues close to Kenyan’s hearts not least of which is his shadowy presence in every economic plunder, albeit without trace. Needless to remind you that he remains an eyesore to those of us who fondly remember Bob Ouko, RIP. I will forever remember that it was during Moi-Biwott hegemony that the Nandi were balkanised and disenfranchised economically as a certain axis of the Kalenjin prospered. Moi played tribe against tribe, clan against clan- even brother against brother. I am always tormented by a sneaking to the "lofty house" that we did while at university and listened in on some conversation like “who is your enemy”. As the audience pronounced (or is it denounced?) one name after another of those prominent activists of pluralism, each name was refuted as it was announced. Finally, a familiar voice croaked “Nandiek”. I do not need to expound the obvious.
4. Having driven Mr. Kenyatta down the throats of Kanu members, those who voted for him did. I would have voted elsewhere. My mother, although ignorant in so far as education is concerned voted for Kibaki (Narc), Kiprono (Kanu) and Kipyego (Narc) the latter two as MP and councillor respectively. Why has Mr. Moi turned against his own project? Many reasons may be offered to explain the fallout. None seems more convincing than the fact that in the emerging political landscape, Moi’s covert project (his son’s ascendancy to the presidency) seems to have been overtaken by events. None of his son’s or handlers feature anywhere in the Raila-Kalonzo-Ruto-Kosgey-Mudavadi planar and it vexes Moi that the pentet don’t seem to express gratitude to him for ‘making’ them. When Biwott denounced the election of Mr. Kenyatta although he was thoroughly beaten in an election that many witnesses agree was free and fair, Moi and Biwott exchanged some unpleasant superlatives. However, I am not shocked that the two have come together again. On one of those many occasions that Moi attended university graduation ceremonies, he stopped at Cheboiywo trading centre just a stone’s throw away from Moi University. He spoke in his squeaky voice and declared that Biwott was the rust-less metal (karnet). He used platitudes that are not easily reproducible in English, but in a gist he was saying something related to Biwott not being guilty of the death of Bob.
5. Moi has never been a reformer. His politics speak of conformism and lying low, speaking with one voice, selection and agreement by consensus rather than contested and competitive politics. I am not sure whether Moi really believes a thing when he says that Kanu can rule again without any other party. Granted, Kanu carries some dirty sentimental value, if only to remind us as a nation what a saviour can become. For that is what Moi's Kanu did. It was going to swallow its own children. Consider this in the light of the fact that he says this like today and goes to see Kibaki the next day. Not that Moi should not see the president; everybody has a right to see the president. But what do they say to each other especially because one claims to want to take back power from the other. Knowing well that Kenya cannot be ruled by a single party, Moi must be doing something that only he and Biwott know or alternatively Biwott doesn’t know what Moi is up to. Chances are that neither knows what they want, however. One thing that grates Moi is the emergence of a progressive Kipsigis-Nandi axis coalescing around the youthful William Kipchirchir Samoei Ruto. Mr. Ruto graduated from Kapsabet High School nearly 50 years after Moi left the institution. Biwott was also a student at the institution at one time. The consequence of the Moi-Biwott grabbing of Kanu is that the Kalenjin are fragmented with the Tugen-Keiyo on one side and the others on the other. Chances are that the government will be formed by ODM-Kenya, at which time Biwott will tuck his tail between his wet legs and high-tail to ODM for an alliance. Alternatively, in the case of a hang-parliament, he may be hoping that he can have the power to swing the power either way which will shore up his market value. All in all he belongs in the gallows. Mr. Moi stands a face of a control freak African ruler (he was never a leader) who moves from being lionised to being demonised. I will remember him as a man who dismembered the Kalenjin in spite of countless efforts to unite the community. In my mind, something comes up every time I remember Moi’s distaste for the emerging scenario in Kalenjin land. Moi was never a fan of Koitalel Samoei and whatever a rejuvenated elevation of this icon of Nandi resistance to British invasion meant for the Nandi (the community that should be at the pyramid of Kalenjin unity). The fact that Koitalel has found a place in the post-Moi Kalenjin polity as a unifying factor and the emergence of an independent Kass FM, an FM station not singing his (Moi’s) praises gives the old Professor of politics sleepless nights for it has taken thunder from under his shaky massive feet. For Moi never ever dreamt that anybody could fail to see him for what he wants us to believe--a saviour. No wonder in one of those clips on FM radio you hear him saying "I went to get friends for you...." With Moi-brokered friendships, who needs enemies! Doesn’t Moi know that the Kalenjin stand better chances to recapture power in ODM-Kenya than in a cold New Kanu?
6. Finally, some food for thought. During the 2002 elections, the Kalenjins largely voted for Uhuru and Kanu. This scenario was not found in Nandi land. In areas like Tindiret, the Kanu MP obtained more votes than Uhuru. The Nandi elected Kibaki by two-thirds. Only a third stayed on with project Uhuru. At inception, the Kibaki government found one Nandi permanent secretary, one Tugen and one Kipsigis. The Nandi elected two MPs on Narc, today apart from one little known Ps who was plugged from KFA the Nandi have no stake in this government. Upon taking over, Kibaki swept the Nandi out of government in spite of the massive support that we gave him. On the contrary the Tugen and Kipsigis (pardon me I am not begrudging them their luck) have found a stronger presence in the Narc government.

Voting with progressive Kenyans that desire change for the good of the country is in the strategic interests of the Nandi. Those Nandi people and the Kalenjins that still retain any hopes of ever returning to power should stick with the ODM-Kenya. In any case, being associated with the emerging Moi-Biwott axis is all the bad things that Kanu stood for (economic mismanagement, political assassinations and tribal animosity including the pain of the tribal clashes). I only pray that Raila's plan for ODM-Kenya does not include one ugly relic of the Moi executors of Nandi disenfranchisement, Mark Kiptarbei arap Too. You may need to read Tiny Rowland's autobiography ("Tiny Rowland: a Rebel Tycoon" by Tom Bower, Published by William Heineman 1993- ISBN: 0434073393) to see what he said about Mark. Nor should we count on Kipruto arap Kirwa and Stephen Kipkiyeny arap Tarus. They have run out of options, if ever they had any. Narc represents a miscarriage of change and Kibaki embodies a jilter while Moi stands for no good of the Kalenjin. We are better off without him. The Kalenjin were never united because of Moi, Kalenjin unity has come in spite of him!

The big 'rungu'-wielding Moi does not understand the politics of coalitions because to him the way to win was to win, even through rigging. After winning accolades for having given up power like a gentleman, Mr. Moi has shepherded Kanu courtesy of the dreadful 'Total man' into a tribal enclave. When Moi blurts around that he is a nationalist who does not subscribe to tribal parties, one is left wondering what Mr. Moi calls tribal in ODM-Kenya as compared to the club of Biwott's New Kanu. The Biwott-Moi still-born baby is a representative of all the things that went wrong with old Kanu. It embodies the evils of a tribalised party, symbolised by the ugly powerbrokers of the yesteryears. On the other hand, ODM-Kenya is the rainbow coalition of the beauty of the mosaic of Kenya's diverse ethnic communities. It represents hope for erasing tribalism which was sponsored by Moi and is fast being revived by Biwott. Moi and Biwott live in the museum of the mlolongo infamy and single-finger waving, 'single-voice' oppression and the backward no-dissent politics. It has no place in today's Kenya!

The abandonment by Mr. Moi of the Uhuru-Ruto-Kosgey-Okemo-Madoka-Kerrow axis is good riddance. Apart from removing the burden of a tainted Kingmaker interested only in grooming marionettes and his vestiges of misrule off the back of the young Kenyatta, it takes away the stigma associated with Moism and the Kokwet-elder type of politics. Additionally, it removes any veil from the false elder and reveals him for who he truly is, a control-freak whose departure from the political scene is long overdue. Moi alligning himself with the Biwott axis is good-riddance and any Kenyan who wishes well for this country should celebrate this unloading of the heavy burden that has always hung around Uhuru's neck. Kenya needs progress to tap the wealthy resource embodied in the rich diversity of our ethnic communities.