Nairobi — Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, 78, who has led his country for the past 24 years, addressed the nation, Thursday, in his final Independence Day celebrations as head of state. And, in what many Kenyans have called a surprisingly conciliatory speech from a normally combative Moi, he asked for unity and forgiveness from those he had wronged during his long stewardship as president.
"If anybody has abused me, I forgive him. And if I have said anything that has pained anyones heart, forgive me," Moi said in an emotional farewell, adding: "That is the only way we can move forward and develop our nation without any bitterness in our hearts."
Opposition parties have expressed fears, ahead of landmark general elections later this month, that Moi plans to wield power from behind the throne; but he told the public rally, peppered with dignitaries and diplomats, that he intended to spend his retirement years trying to end conflict in Africa and helping children orphaned by HIV/Aids; "I should be so busy that no one need fear that I would attempt to rule through the next president," he said.
Kenya holds general elections on December 27, after which Moi is scheduled to leave office on January 5, 2003.
During the anniversary celebrations in the capital, Nairobi, marking 39 years of independence from Britain, Moi appealed to his compatriots to ensure a fair, free, calm and peaceful poll, and to accept the results, saying: "This is the basis of democracy. The whole world is watching us and if we fail this test, we will be seen as just another African failure."
Moi has thrown his support behind Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenyas founding president, the late Jomo Kenyatta, as the presidential candidate of his governing Kenya African National Union (Kanu) party.
Viewed by the opposition as Mois man, anointed son and a puppet, Kenyatta is a comparative political novice in Kenya and has never held elected office. But Moi denies that he would become a back seat driver or become involved in the running of government should Kenyatta win the polls.
Kenyatta, 42, faces stiff competition from the main opposition alliance contender, Mwai Kibaki, of Narc - the National Rainbow Coalition, which has seen an influx of senior Kanu defectors in recent weeks. "I have had my time and will render support to our next president," said Moi.
Kibaki, 71, is another veteran politician and erstwhile Moi ally and one time vice-president and minister in successive Kanu governments. The opposition leader is currently in London, after undergoing hospital treatment following a car crash earlier this month, while campaigning. He is expected back home on Saturday.
Observers have questioned Mois commitment to willingly surrender power, should the opposition win the presidential election. He has repeatedly maintained that he will not relinquish the Kanu chairmanship, even after his retirement. But Moi said Thursday, "I will, as is my constitutional duty, be handing over the reins of office to my successor - your new president. This will be done smoothly. This is my desire and pledge."
Though Kenyans are not yet breathing a sigh of relief that the transfer of power in January will be peaceful, the election campaign has so far been mostly trouble-free, in sharp contrast to the run-up to polls in 1992 and 1997. Up to 2,000 people were killed and thousands more injured and displaced in pre-election violence in the two previous polls.
An opinion poll published this week put Kibaki far ahead of Kenyatta and other presidential hopefuls, predicting an end to what has often been described as Kanus autocratic stranglehold on power. Kenyatta told allAfrica.com that the predictions of a landslide Narc victory were pure fiction and that similar opinion polls in previous election years had proved false.
Other leading presidential candidates are former Finance Minister, Simeon Nyachae, of the Ford People Coalition and James Orengo, for the Social Democratic Party, who is a lawyer turned politician.
But Kenyans do not expect that their president will disappear behind the scenes once he steps down and Moi confirmed this Thursday. "It would be irresponsible on my part to simply go away and sit in the sun or just fade away," he told the crowds.
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Stressing that he would continue his work as a regional peace broker, Moi said his focus would be to "pursue peace, through the initiative of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad)" and the Moi Foundation, yet to be set up. He said he would direct his energies into trying to help resolve conflicts in the Horn of Africa and East Africa, such as Somalia and Sudan. "Kenyans need to have peaceful neighbours in order to be secure, peaceful and to prosper," said Moi.
In a now familiar dig at the international media, Moi again accused the Western press of intentionally depicting Africa as "a continent ever in turmoil" and constantly reporting "chaos in Kenya," adding "It gives us great pleasure again to prove them wrong." He said there was never "any positive side of the continent brought out. Good news seldom reaches the television screens."
Moi concluded that negative international media coverage had done "immense damage" to the image of Africa. He told Kenyan journalists to make sure they used "good judgement" in reporting the elections and hoped they would "calm the situation" with their coverage.
