A Cabinet minister wants President Mwai Kibaki to apologise publicly to his predecessor Daniel arap Moi for the public humiliation he received during the 2003 handing over ceremony at Uhuru Park.
"Kibaki should apologise on behalf of the Kenyans who booed and threw mud at the former head of state because they were Kibaki's supporters," said Sports minister Ababu Namwamba. Budalangi MP said it was shameful for Kenyans to have treated Moi with such dishonour "even after keeping the country as a icon of peace during his 24 years of leadership".
Namwamba said it was regrettable that while Moi was be subjected to public ridicule by Kibaki supporters during the hand over ceremony, Kibaki did nothing to refrain his supporters.
Budalangi MP said it was shameful for Kenyans to have treated Moi with such dishonour "even after keeping the country as a icon of peace during his 24 years of leadership".
"It was quit disheartening to see a man who has strive to keep Kenyans peaceful for those years being subjected to puppet of ridicule," said Namwamba referring to the rather chaotic handing over ceremony witnessed by over 100,000 people who at times became rowdy, booed and jeered when Moi arrived and left Uhuru Park.
He said the Kibaki administration has performed poorly in security issues as compared to that of his predecessor Moi. The sports minister appealed Kenyans to accord Moi respect due his positive gesture of allowing democratic election in the country.
"We should give credits where it deserves; Moi may committed some wrongs but his positive deeds, outweighs the negative,"noted Namwamba.
He said leaders should desist of avenging their political rivals should they ascend to power noting such act would derail on the national building.
Namwamba, who was accompanied with assistant minister of Energy Magerer Langat, was speaking at racecourse inn hotel in Eldoret during a consultative meeting with farmers last evening.
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Actually what has been said is true. The country needs to move forward. It was really bad the way former president was treated in the handing over at uhuru park. It was so sad. Having ruled Kenyans for 24yrs. We should learn how to forgive one another. Leadership comes and goes but the country remain the same. Let him apologize for the former president because he has made him to be what he is now.
Namwamba is right. It is always a gesture of maturity that an incoming president shows respect to the outgoing one. Although I think it was wrong for Moi to front Uhuru and actively get involved in campaigning for him, the truth is that it was Moi who urged Uhuru to accept defeat and he went on to hand over power to Kibaki. Just imagine what would have happened if Uhuru had not accepted defeat and Moi refused to recognize Kibaki. We would have plunged into worse bloodshed than we had at the end of Kibaki's first term. Yet what did we see? A few months into Kibaki's term and the country was yearning for Moi. I remember Moi appearing at a national celebration at Moi stadium and he received a great standing ovation, greater if any, than Kibaki had received. No surprise that they stopped inviting him to such events. People had already come to realise that Kibaki was leading them to the direction of what came to happen at the end of his first term yet Moi had led them through peace for 24 years.