Thousands gather to pay tribute to Kenya's longest-serving President

Thousands of Kenyans gathered in a stadium to mourn the death of their former President Daniel Arap Moi. People gathered at an open-air stadium on Tuesday to mourn the death of their longest-serving President, who died at the age of 95 on February 4. Moi's body draped in the Kenyan flag was brought to the stadium alongside marching soldiers while people sang gospel songs as they waited for the cortege to arrive. 

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According to media reports, Moi was seen as a virtual dictator of Kenya and was blamed for rampant corruption in the country. Moi was elected the president of the country in 1978 after the then President Jomo Kenyatta died. Moi remained in power until the end of 2002 but he was booed to retirement after his term limits forced him to step down. Moi was elected twice as the president of the country, once in 1992 and then again in 1997.

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As per reports, Moi jailed thousands of activists, academics, students and they were kept in underground cells without any charges. Corruption flourished and poverty deepened during Moi's rule as the country plummeted into a deep economic crisis. In 2004, an investigating report by Kroll said that accused Moi and his inner circle of stealing $2 billion from the state funds. The accusation at the time was dismissed by the government.  

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Moi was diagnosed with dementia

Moi was diagnosed with dementia in August 2017 and was hospitalised under a critical condition in October 2019. Moi was discharged in November 2019 only to be hospitalised again for knee surgery. Moi was placed on life support after he suffered from gastrointestinal hemorrhage which led to multiple organ failure and eventually to his death. Moi's legacy may be questionable but his funeral was attended by leaders from across the region, including the Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni. 

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