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Body of former President Daniel Moi has been lying in state
Kenya’s Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna has said that seven heads of state and 18 foreign delegations are expected to attend the state funeral of former President Daniel arap Moi.
That’s fewer than the 18 heads of state mentioned in initial reports.
Mr Cyrus Oguna told local TV station K24 that more Kenyans should make their way to Nyayo National Stadium, the venue of the state funeral:
Govt Spokesperson, Cyrus Oguna: We are expecting 7 Heads of States and a total of 18 foreign delegations. #RIPMoi pic.twitter.com/z6YXEkRQxD
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) February 11, 2020
Daniel Arap Moi died last week aged 95.
An estimated 30,000 people are expected to gather at the Nyayo National Stadium in the capital, Nairobi, to say goodbye to the man who ruled the country for 24 years.
The BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi has been to Kabarnet, the home town of Moi, where a monument built in Moi’s honor stands. It bears the words, “peace love and unity”, which was the philosophy of Moi’s 24-year rule though many Kenyans would contest that his legacy tells a different story.
At the apex of the monument is an outstretched hand holding a baton, just like the one Mr Moi wielded as president to symbolise his authority.
But what the monument now represents is as divisive as the legacy Mr Moi leaves behind.
Senator James Orengo, a lawyer and one of the political activists who were repeatedly beaten and detained by Moi’s regime during the push for multiparty democracy in the 1980s, said of Mr Moi’s legacy:
” Throughout there was this kind of contradiction in his leadership. Humble, populist, but the Nyayo stick was a sign of authority which depicted the authoritarianism of his kind of leadership. Despite that, I think he wanted to be seen in the eye of the public as a caring leader in the community.”
Former President Moi departs as a man who was revered and feared, respected and detested. Some will mourn the death of an African statesman, others will bid farewell to a leader whose style they hope to never experience again.
Nyayo stadium packed for Mzee Daniel Moi’s National Prayer Service.
The Stadium can only accommodate a capacity of 30 000 people.#tukonews #RestInPeaceMoi #tuesdayMotivation pic.twitter.com/TU9R6a1lY5
— Tuko.co.ke (@Tuko_co_ke) February 11, 2020
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