[Retired President Daniel Moi in a past meeting with Uhuru Kenyatta. Details have emerged on why he hated Milton Obote. Photo/Nation]
Retired president Daniel Moi had reservations on disposed Ugandan leader Milton Obote, recounts Journalist Kamau Ngotho in his ‘Memories from the beat ‘ memoirs.
Obote was twice dethroned from power with the first coming in 1971 through Army Chief Id Amin, the infamous authoritarian leader.
And according to retired Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda, Moi’s hatred was such ‘passionate’ to the extent that he kept following Obote’s whereabouts even after he was exiled in Zambia.
“Moi always blamed Obote for allegedly instigating Kenyan military to revolt against Jomo Kenyatta,” recalls Kaunda in reference to aborted 1971 coup in Kenya.
“Obote was also socialist leaning against Kenya’s capitalist approach. That also contributed to their divergent ideologies,” adds Ngotho in his book.
While Moi ruled for 24 years uninterrupted, Obote suffered two coup de ta before and was subsequently exiled in Zambia.
Kaunda also recalls when Moi had to turn away an aircraft carrying Obote at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Dar es Salaam following the ‘bad blood’.