Grapes of Wrath: How Moi’s repression prompted coup bid

• Repression, detention without trial and torture of people who advocated reforms in the early years of Moi’s rule are blamed for the abortive coup of 1982. The events then set the stage for the search for a new constitution

On August 1, 1982, the streets of Nairobi were a study in chaos. An attempt to overthrow President Moi’s government had triggered divisions within the army, turning the capital into a battlefield.

That coup attempt, it is commonly claimed, turned Mr Moi into a tyrant and set the stage for a crackdown that would turn his regime into one of the most repressive on the continent.

That claim misrepresents history, says Salim Lone, one of Kenya’s pioneer journalists who had a front- row view of history as a major player in the liberation movement in those years.

Mr Lone, who is working on a book about Kenya’s recent history, spoke to the Sunday Nation about the dramatic period during which as editor of Viva magazine he was repeatedly the subject of torture and detention and was involved in the efforts by oppositionists to come up with an alternative to Kanu.

He said it was a fortunate twist of history that this week, which marks the 28th anniversary of the coup, is the one in which the nation will choose whether to endorse a constitution that would herald a new dawn for Kenya.

“It is a marvellous coincidence. The fact we are about to get a new constitution is directly linked to the events in the early 1980s, which culminated in the coup. The best thing which happened to the campaign for the draft law is the fact Moi chose to be in the ‘No’ camp. Those of us who lived through that period recognise he has consistently been on the wrong side of history, and it is a relief that he chose to reject this proposed constitution.”

Mr Lone was one of those who initially backed Mr Moi’s ascension to the presidency.

Wrote editorial

“I regret to say that three days after Kenyatta’s death (in August 1978) we rolled out a special edition which we had prepared in advance. It sold 200,000 copies on the first day. On the back page, we wrote an editorial stating Moi, (then the Vice-President) should be installed as president. At the time he faced great resistance from the change-the-constitution group composed of some members of the elite who possessed large amounts of wealth and wanted to subvert the constitution. They did not even want Moi to serve for the 90 days stipulated in law.”

Mr Lone says one of the best features of the movement resisting the largely Kikuyu elite planning to manage the Kenyatta succession for their own ends was the fact that this resistance was spearheaded by Kikuyus and was not based on ethnicity.

Intellectuals such as Micere Mugo, Mirugi Kariuki and Ngugi wa Thiong’o refused to support the change-the-constitution group.

But the most formidable opponent of the anti-Moi team was Charles Njonjo a “political genius” who Mr Lone says disorganised the Moi opponents in a fast-moving chain of events that left everyone stunned. Mr Moi started his term well and gradually developed national support.

“He had the common touch, went around planting trees and building gabions and said all the right things. A famous speech where he said it was ‘better to eat sukuma wiki and have security than eat fried meat and live in fear’ went down very well.”

But Mr Lone says the early optimism began to fade when it became clear that Mr Moi was unable to manage state affairs properly.

“Kenyatta was a master politician. He knew how to exercise repression without losing credibility. There was grand corruption under his watch, but the economy did not collapse. After less than a year of Moi’s time in office, it became clear he was not able to govern adequately. Salaries of the civil service, the police force, even the armed forces began to get delayed or not be paid at all. When you don’t pay people it becomes apparent you are out of your depth. There was clearly anger and tension in the air.”