Daniel arap Moi

Who is Daniel arap Moi?

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was born on 2 September 1924 in Sacho, in the Baringo region of the Rift Valley. Originally a schoolteacher, he entered colonial-era politics in the mid-1950s and rose through independent Kenya's government, serving as Vice-President under Jomo Kenyatta. When Kenyatta died in 1978, Moi became Kenya's second President, a post he held for twenty-four years until 2002. He governed under the political philosophy he called 'Nyayo' (footsteps), and for much of his rule Kenya was a one-party state under KANU, a period marked by both stability and criticism over human rights and corruption. Under domestic and international pressure, he oversaw the return to multiparty politics in 1991 and won contested elections in 1992 and 1997. Constitutionally barred from running again, he stepped down peacefully after the 2002 elections. He died on 4 February 2020, remaining one of the most consequential and debated figures in Kenya's post-independence history.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, entry on Daniel arap Moi · Andrew Morton, 'Moi: The Making of an African Statesman' (1998) · BBC News obituary, Daniel arap Moi (4 February 2020)