The late former powerful Minister William Ole Ntimama once gave an assessment of retired President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, who served as Kenya's president for 24 years.
Ntimama served as a Member of Parliament for Narok North constituency and as a Cabinet Minister in various dockets for 25 years.
In an interview three years to his death, Ntimama said even though Moi was a dictator, who was eager to crush his political opponents, his commitment to encouraging education among his Kalenjin community was immense.
"If it were not for Moi, the Kalenjin would not have been educated. But as President, he did not want anybody to go ahead of him. This made him one of the worst dictators. He even detained me in 1983 for 102 days for alleged incitement," he said.
Ntimama said the retired President was his personal friend and showered him with praises adding he was both generous and kind.
"Moi is a personal friend. I can pick this phone even now and he will tell me ‘come to Kabarak.’ He is very generous and kind. He can pay school fees for children from poor families and bare-foot women from Baringo could go to his house and eat with him," he recounted.
Asked whether the country's second President was a good judge of character, the former National Heritage Minister said:
"Not really. I think it was just his whims of like and dislike."
Ntimama broke ranks with Moi in 1992 when he ditched independent party KANU and joined Democratic Party at the height of multiparty democracy.