Senior Superintendent of Police Leonard Yator recounted how the late Libyan President Muammar Ghadafi confronted the retired President Daniel Arap Moi after he refused to hand over the chairmanship of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
In a past interview with Daily Nation, Yator narrated that Moi was supposed to relinquish the position to pave way for the Libyan to take over. Yator revealed that his first trip with Moi was when the commander in chief of the armed forces was expected to leave the position of the chairperson at OAU.
Moi was to pave way for Gadhafi on August 5 to 8, 1982 but US government and its supporting nations were not ready for his leadership. Moi never showed up to hand over after an attempted coup back in Kenya.
In November, Moi travelled to attend a summit in Tripoli and this time around Gadhafi was not ready for stories anymore but to take over. Despite the lack of quorum during the summit, Gadhafi told Moi that he must handover by force.
The Libyan had hired a fleet of limousines and other expensive motorcades to ferry dignitaries to the conference. He confronted Moi but the latter refused to bow to pressure. Youths supporting Gadhafi caused fracas when they arrived chanting Arabic song.
Yator recalled: “The unruly mob was dangerously moving in our direction screaming and hurling insults at President Moi in Arabic.”
He revealed that he was forced to draw his two pistols and stood between the youths and Moi.
Ghadhafi was forced to ask the youths to withdraw after sensing that hell was about to break loose. Yator said that had Gadhafi not act things would have run out of hand.
"The President’s safety was threatened and I had to act. I drew my two pistols and stood between the President and the unruly youths, my fingers on the trigger.
"President Gaddafi, who was just next to us chatting up Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam, sensed danger and quickly waved his boys away.”