Kenya greets its second President of the Republic after the Father of the Fatherland Jomo Kenyatta.
Yesterday in Nairobi at the venerable age of 96 years Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, who was first Minister, then Vice President, died yesterday in Nairobi on August 22, 1978.
Moi ruled as "sovereign" President of a one-party parliament until 1992, when he was reintroduced thanks to reforms that he himself approved, the multiparty system.
Moi prevailed in the two following elections, in 1992 and 1997, the latter after a long court case with the oppositions who had denounced fraud.
In 2002 the opposition candidate Mwai Kibaki, a moderate and former ally, prevailed in the election round and Arap Moi withdrew from active politics.
He was unquestionably a centralizing President, but also a Peace Chief of State, able to combat tribalism (belonging to the Nandi ethnic group, of Kalenjin strain, therefore, neither to the Kiluyu nor to the historically rival Luo) and to promote relations with foreign States both of the NATO and Soviet bloc. His son Gideon, Senator, has followed in his footsteps in politics and could run for the next President. Very soon the date of the State funeral will be announced and most likely that day will be declared a National Day.