Moi made me who I am, says ex-minister Henry Kosgey

Once a powerful minister during President Daniel arap Moi's era, former Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey says he will always remember him for contributing to his success.

In an interview with the Nation on Sunday, Mr Kosgey, a long-time member of Kenya’s oldest political party, Kanu, said he was appointed Transport minister at a young age.

“When I joined Parliament at the age of 32 as Tinderet MP, Mzee appointed me Minister for Transport and Communications due to the trust he had in me and the Nandi community," he said.

He said that following that appointment, he served 15 years as minister under Moi and his successor Mwai Kibaki.

HONEST SERVICE

Mr Kosgey said that while serving in the ministry, he set up Kenya Airways, Kenya Railways and Kenya Ports Authority, and modernised the telecommunications sector.

The soft-spoken politician also reminisced about Moi's advice, saying the President told him that Cabinet positions are for serving the people, not for pursuing selfish interests.

“We will miss him because he always insisted on serving the people. I was a good student of Moi and loyal to the government," he said.

Regarding his career in politics, Mr Kosgey said Moi advised him to go into the field in 1979.

"Without him, I would not have ventured into active politics. I defeated Jean-Marie Seroney," he said.

PERSONAL TOUCH

Mr Kosgey said Moi used state machinery such as the National Intelligence Service (NIS), provincial administrators and influential Kanu district leaders to ensure a united nation.

“For the 24 years he ruled Kenya, Moi made maximum use of provincial administrators. He would personally call provincial commissioners, district commissioners, paramount chiefs, Kanu branch chairmen, church leaders, MPs and Cabinet Ministers to know what exactly was happening in every corner of the country," he said.

He said it was difficult to think of opposing Moi.

Mr Kosgey said Moi would call leaders such as Mark Too, Ezekiel Barng'etuny, Mulu Mutisya, Shariff Nassir and others at any time for briefings.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

Mr Kosgey said the President never tolerated politicians who sought to divide the nation.

Moi single-handedly established Nyayo wards in all the 41 districts and started Moi University and several polytechnics across Kenya.

Mr Kosgey said Moi introduced the school milk programme to ensure pupils from poor families stayed in school.

KANU LOSS

The former minister said they were thrown into confusion when Kanu lost power in 2002, wondering how they would survive after Moi's exit.

He said they thought they would continue serving under the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) government, only to find themselves in the opposition, with Moi insisting that elected MPs had to keep Kibaki’s government on its toes.

“Moi had told us he was going to retire but some of us did not welcome the decision. That’s why we found ourselves as political orphans after Uhuru Kenyatta lost," he said.

"After he handed power peacefully to Kibaki, he told us to ensure the opposition was vibrant."

Mr Kosgey said: “Biwott and I were tasked with leading Kanu in the Rift Valley. During his reign, Moi ensured the region spoke with one voice, unlike now when we are divided," he said.