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Volume III
Chapter ONE
of power. Although the effort to sideline Moi was unsuccessful, it underscored
the continued ethnicization of Kenyan politics, and the perception that ethnic
representation at the highest levels of government would translate into widespread
benefits for members of that community.
64. Daniel arap Moi entered the presidency with the pledge that he would move the
country away from the curse and blemish of ethno-politics. 50 The early years of his
presidency showed promise, with his government initially including Kenyans from
a wide variety of ethnic communities. Moi’s first cabinet, for example, included 11
ethnic groups: eight Kikuyu, three Kalenjin, three Luhya, three Luo, two Kisii, and one
Maasai, Taita, Kamba, Embu, Digo and Meru. 51
65. President Moi quickly became preoccupied with suppressing his perceived
opponents. This preoccupation with limiting dissent and consolidating power
accelerated after the attempted coup in 1982. Campaigns to address corruption,
ethnicity and human rights abuses fell aside as President Moi and his government
centralized power and tackled dissent. 52 To consolidate his political power President
Moi filled the civil service and state-owned institutions with members of his ethnic
group and those from ethnic communities that were viewed as supportive of the
regime. 53
66. There is evidence that President Moi’s administration took a page from the
colonial government and used divide and rule tactics to pit ethnic communities
against each other. 54 This policy became particularly evident after the reintroduction
of multi-party politics in the country in the early 1990s. The
introduction of multiparty politics and elections coincided with a wave of ethnic
violence in parts of the country. The NCIC summarizes Moi’s tenure as president
in the following terms:
Despite the Nyayo philosophy of peace, love and unity, there was insufficient attention
to past grievances among Kenyans in the 1980s through to the 1990s. Specifically, there
was: (i) lack of decisive land reforms, and land-based conflicts persisted; (ii) little regard
to Kenya’s diversity in employing or appointing public sector employees; (iii) inequitable
distribution of budgetary resources; (iv) mismanagement of public resources; and (v)
autocratic governance; among other challenges 55
50 A Sjögren and P Karlsson ‘Kenyan politics 1963–2007: A background to the elections’ available at http://www.nai.uu.se/articles/
sjogren_and_karlsson/background-1/index (accessed 15 April 2011).
51 Weekly Review, Nairobi 30 Nov 1979 as cited in DP Aluhwalia (1996)
52 ‘Human rights abuses in Kenya under Daniel arap Moi 1978–2001’ (2001) 5/1 African Studies Quarterly available at: http://web.
africa.ufl.edu/asq/v5/v5i1a1.htm (accessed on 15 April 2012).
53 Above.
54 DO Oricho ‘Advocacy campaign design for interethnic violence reforms in Kenya’ (2009) 1/2 Journal of Law and Conflict Resolution
50.
55 National Cohesion and Integration Commission (n 100 above) 11.
REPORT OF THE TRUTH, JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
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