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Nyanza28 July 2022 - 10:29

Moi was not tribal, it was a misconception - Lee Njiru

"Mzee wanted regional balance, he  wanted people from everywhere," Lee said

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by The Star
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THE PROFESSOR OF POLITICS: Daniel Moi. The retired Second President of Kenya, at the age of 91, is still alive and alert and intensely interested in politics.

Former president Daniel Arap Moi's press secretary Lee Njiru has dismissed claims that his boss was tribal.

He claimed that people had a tendency to think that all staff especially at State House were from the Kalenjin tribe.

"When you look state house and they see any black person, especially in the presidential press, you were labelled a Kalenjin. That is a misconception because Moi was not a tribalist," Lee added.

Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday, he recounted how he served with various staff who were from different regions unlike people's assumptions. 

"I was the director throughout and I'm an Embu .In the Press Secretariat  my deputy was a swahili from the Coast region, had a Chief Information Officer who was a Luhya from Western,  several others including cameramen, producers who were Meru and photographers were from Mt Kenya region," Lee added.

However, he noted that Moi may not have known about the messengers  because as head of state he might have been too executive.

Lee admitted that employees who had the mandate to recruit would at times get people from their own villages but it wasn't Moi's policy.

"Mzee wanted regional balance, he wanted people from everywhere. One of the secretaries was a Kikuyu and another one was Taita and a Luhya and this mad mzee very happy ,"Lee added.

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