The former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi has died. The prominent African politician was 95, BBC News reported.
On Tuesday, sitting Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta officially announced the death of his predecessor, saying the nation had lost a “great man when Daniel arap Moi passed away.
In the history of the modern and independent Kenya, Mr Moi remains as the longest-serving president. He was in office for 24 years, until intense pressure forced him to step down in 2002.
Despite Moi’s opponents have been criticized him as an authoritarian ruler who oversaw rampant corruption, his allies credited him for maintaining stability and prosperity in the country. Millions of Kenyans remember Moi’s ruling as one of the stable and good times in the history of the East African country.
Daniel arap Moi was sworn in as president in October 1978. As his colleagues remember, he was feared and admired in equal measure in his office. After his stepping down, ex-President Moi asked for forgiveness from “those he had wronged” in 2004.
Daniel arap Moi: life story of the prominent African politician
Mr Moi was born on 2 September 1924 into a farming family, he was a close ally of Kenyatta in the run-up to Kenyan independence in 1963.
He served as home affairs minister from 1964 and in 1967 he became the country’s vice-president. Until the introduction of multi-party politics, Mr Moi was elected unopposed as president in 1983 and 1988.
He survived a coup attempt in 1982, which led to a brutal crackdown on his opponents. He also scrapped the entire air force, whose members had taken part in the foiled coup. Moi appeared to dominate almost every aspect of life, an impression aided by the state-run media.
Defenders of Mr Moi’s legacy point to his often-repeated line that he kept Kenya “peaceful”, while several African countries were experiencing strife.
