Kenya’s longest serving President Daniel arap Moi has died at the age of 95.
Moi who ruled Kenya for 24 years died on Monday after being in hospital for weeks.
His death was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on state television.
The country will observe a period of national mourning from Tuesday until the day of his funeral.
Mr. Moi will be accorded a state funeral, with all appropriate civilian and full military honours being observed.
President Kenyatta also ordered that flags should fly at half -mast.
Moi replaced Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta after his death in 1978 and rallied Kenyans to join in building the country.
Historic moment of MOI swearing-in, August 1978 after the death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta #RIPMoi ^MK pic.twitter.com/FVh68N69Ml
— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) February 4, 2020
But after a failed coup plot to overthrow him Moi gained notoriety for clamping down on freedoms and torturing opposition politicians without trial.
In 1990 President Moi came under intense pressure to introduce multi-party democracy and presidential term limits.
In view of the associated sanctions Moi organized elections but won won back-to-back in 1992 and 1997.
When his two terms ended in 2002, Moi favoured Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor but Uhuru lost by a landslide to an opposition coalition led by Mwai Kibaki.
The government of the former teacher was hit by major corruption scandals including the billion-dollar Goldenberg scandal which involved the fictitious exports of gold in which he was directly implicated. Moi has denied the allegations.
Source: Africafeeds.com
