From Oath to Uhuru: How Moi Guarded the Kenyatta Legacy
Beyond 1969: The Hidden Oaths Behind the Uhuru ProjectBound by Nyayo: Moi’s Secret Promise and the Rise of Uhuru Kenyatta
After 1969 Kikuyu oathing ceremony, Jomo Kenyatta extended those oaths beyond the Kikuyu community.
Loyal non-Kikuyu officials in his government were quietly bound to protect the Kenyatta legacy.
His Vice President, Daniel arap Moi, was one of them.
The oath reportedly committed him to two things, safeguard the Kenyatta family and follow Mzee’s footsteps Nyayo.
When Kenyatta died on 22 August 1978, Daniel Arap Moi kept his word.
He ensured Mama Ngina Kenyatta remained at State House, Nairobi, during the delicate transition.
He publicly declared his presidency would follow Kenyatta’s Nyayo philosophy, turning it into a national doctrine.
He raised Jomo’s younger sons as his own.He cleared Uhuru and Muhoho Kenyatta’s school fees and brought them to State House functions.
He later engineered Uhuru’s political debut. In 2001, Moi nominated Uhuru to Parliament.
Months later, he made him Minister for Local Government.
The ultimate fulfillment came in 2002.
Defying his entire party, Moi bypassed KANU veterans and anointed Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor.
The “Uhuru Project” was Moi’s final act of loyalty to the oath he took 33 years earlier.
