Hundreds travel to Nyayo to eulogise departed leader
Irene Githinji @gitshee
Hundreds of Kenyans, from all walks of life, travelled from different parts of the country to Nairobi to participate in the memorial service for second President Daniel arap Moi at Nyayo Stadium.
Notwithstanding the distance to be covered, they were determined to officially bid Mzee Moi farewell and be part and parcel of the momentous ceremony.
The journey for those who travelled from Nyanza began on Monday evening so that they could make it to Nairobi in time for the ceremony.
From as early as 5.30am, Kenyans, many donned in red, had started arriving and queued waiting for security checks.
Mariane Aketch was ecstatic at the opportunity she got to travel to Nairobi.
Dress code
She said she could not miss out on the occasion, since there were buses provided to ferry them to Nairobi.
Aketch was clad in a red dress and scarf, the look completed with a cap that mourners were issued with as they entered Nyayo stadium.
The cap had the words Mkae kwa amani (live in peace) printed on its front and ‘KANU’ at the back.
“He was our President for 24 years. As a leader, he had his weaknesses but he tried to give his best,” said Aketch.
Aketch, who said she preferred attending the memorial service as opposed to the burial today, said she will live to tell the story of events of the day.
Another mourner, Charles Mukwana, also from Kisumu, could not hide his joy at being part of the ceremony.
He described Moi as a statesman who lived his life to the fullest and since they did not have an opportunity to view his body, he felt it was important to join in yesterday’s service.
He said Moi moulded many political leaders.
“I celebrate Moi for his noble gesture to push for education reforms, having been a teacher in his early years. He loved children and after he took over leadership, he insisted that all children be taken to schools and even gave them milk,” said Mukwana.
Ali Wadani travelled all the way from Mombasa for the memorial service and to compensate for the fact that he also did not get an opportunity to view Moi’s body.
Part of history
“I am glad that the government has given Kenyans an opportunity to be part of Moi’s sendoff,” said Wadani.
Gorrette Kaunda, who in her own words, had “watched history being made”, said this time she followed the processes of a State funeral as opposed to 1978 when the founding President Jomo Kenyatta passed on.
Kaunda described Moi as a leader in his own right who could not be swayed by any political force.
Meanwhile, the city streets remained largely deserted yesterday as most residents opted to watch the prayer service from the comfort of their homes.
The government had declared yesterday a national holiday to give Kenyans time to mourn Moi.
Kelvin Onyango, a trader along the usually busy Wabera Street said business was low as most city residents had opted to either stay at home or go to the stadium.
“During normal times, I rake in a profit of between Sh3,000 and Sh4,500 per day, but am perplexed that I have only made Sh1,800 since morning,” said the trader.
