At the pinnacle of his rule, former Kenyan President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi was an intriguing figure whose deft political manoeuvres often left both friend and foe in awe. That checkered legacy was apparent in the mixed reviews that followed his death on February 4, at 95 years.
The circumstances of his rise to power and the tumultuous internal and regional fissures, conflict and economic collapse across most of Africa, would ultimately determine the kind of leader he would turn out to be. After emerging victor in a treacherous contest to succeed Kenya’s founding President Jomo Kenyatta, who died in late 1978, Moi presided over simmering tensions that threatened the basic fabric of the country’s social cohesion.
