• Former governor says Moi was always ready to forgive 'as long as one said they were sorry'.
• He says after he fell out with Moi in 2002, Moi called him for lunch ai Kabarak.
Several political leaders who rubbed shoulders with retired President Mzee Daniel Arap Moi continue to pay glowing tribute to him.
For Isaac Rutto, former Bomet governor, Moi was a man of “great humility with an unparalleled capacity to forgive”.
From being left at a South African airport to being locked up in jail for disagreeing with the former head of state, Rutto narrates a story of a man who was always already to forgive “so long as you go directly to him and say three words: I am sorry”.
The former minister during Moi’s era says it was Moi who welcomed him into politics and mentored him.
“We were young boys when we first ventured into politics and he welcomed us and gave us responsibilities to undertake,” he said.
While giving advice to the current leadership, the Chama Cha Mashinani party leader called on them to emulate the values and virtues of the former president of forgiving and forgetting, despite their differences.
Rutto said after he fell off with Moi in 2002, he was surprised to receive a call from him inviting him for lunch at Kabarak. He said that despite making mistakes several times that disappointed Moi, the head of state would not hold grudges.
“Moi was accommodative, In fact, our leaders should learn from this...when you went back to him and just say ‘I’m sorry’, he was ready to forgive you so you can move on well with him again,” he said.
His ability to hold the country together, he noted, was because he endeavoured to reach out to everyone including his enemies.
“His unique ability that no leader possesses became evident when he forgave those who planned his failed 1982 coup which included senior Army, GSU and police officers,” Rutto said, adding that after the coup, while serving as student leaders, Moi ordered their release from prison and got them jobs.
"Before I could finish my first term as an MP, he appointed me as an assistant minister of Education, Agriculture and later minister."
Edited by R.Wamochie