Moi Day marked as Kenyans throw him all the blame

by Enock Bett · October 10, 2019

Kenyans on Social Media, while marking Moi Day Holiday, have thrown all the blame to the retired President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, accusing him of misgoverning the nation for 24 years. Moi Day, a public holiday dedicated to honoring Kenya’s second President Mzee Toroitich has been characterized with controversy for over seven years now, this is after the New 2010 Constitution scrapped it.

Daniel Moi, who introduced the holiday in 1989 while he was the country’s President would make a triumphant entry on October 10, annually to join Kenyans who would leave their works and daily activities behind to fill the stadia to celebrate his achievements in songs and dances. Baba Nyayo would sit there to enjoy praises while holding his ‘Rungu’ which symbolized his authority and would always carry it wherever he was going.

In November 2017, the High Court judge Justice George Odunga restored the holiday ruling that unless the parliament decides to change the law, Moi Day must continue to be observed. This made the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government CS Dr. Fred Matiang’i to reaffirm the holiday through a gazette notice. The CS did not, however, elaborate the manner in which the celebrations would be held.

Today Kenyans decided to throw all the blames to the retired President, perhaps from the comfort of their homes or clubs through Twitter hashtags #NothingToCelebrateKE and #MoiDay. Some Twitter users accused him of grabbing huge parcels of land and stealing public resources while others reminisced his memorable speeches and times of Nyayo era. Here are some of the Twitter reactions:

https://twitter.com/Imwen_e/status/1182163888936292352

Kishon: I thought Moi was the worst President until Uhuru Kenyatta happened. I want to apologize profusely to H.E Daniel Arap Moi. He is the lesser evil by far. Happy #MoiDay folks though #NothingToCelebrateKE

https://twitter.com/NdegeSerikal/status/1182192601782509573

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir shared a photo of him and the retired President on his Twitter timeline saying: “On this beautiful Moi Day, I remember with nostalgia my President, President Daniel Arap Moi. Some may want to remember the negatives but I choose to remember his positives knowing we all are human & we all have our foibles. Unlike many of his age, Moi handed over power.