Two personal encounters that show who the son of Nyandusi really was

When Simeon Nyachae was provincial commissioner in the then Rift Valley province, my father worked as a foreman in a Nakuru-based firm called W.H. Sayer Construction & Engineering Co. The company had been contracted to construct a tea factory at Sotik in the then Kericho district.

On completion of the factory, Vice President Daniel arap Moi went to open it accompanied by PC Nyachae. The VIP’s party would be taken round by the contractor, Mr Sayer, and my father.

As they inspected the factory downstairs, a machine operator upstairs unintentionally set the water jet in the wrong direction sprinkling the VIPs downstairs. The contractor profusely apologised for the incident.

The chief guest Mr Moi took it easy, even made a joke of it that in his Kalenjin community early morning showers are a sign of blessings.

But Mr Nyachae didn’t take it kindly. Back in Nakuru, he summoned the contractor for a thorough tongue-lashing and instructed the provincial engineer to blacklist him from getting government contracts.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mr Nyache wrote to the principal immigration officer to consider deporting the contractor back to the UK. However, Attorney General Charles Njonjo intervened and the British man was spared. Soon after, Mr Nyachae was transferred to Central province.

Dressed down

In the next incident, I was the victim of Nyachae’s wrath. This time I was a grown up and a journalist with Nation Media Group. It was early in the year 2000 and Nyachae had just fallen out with President Moi and resigned from the Cabinet.

From the president’s buddy, he turned to a fierce critic within the ruling party Kanu. I was assigned to look for him and write a story on his changed roles.

Unable to secure an appointment through his private offices in Nairobi’s Industrial Area, I decided to waylay him in the corridors of Parliament. One afternoon, I strategically positioned myself in the Parliament cafeteria and waited. When he came out I walked towards him and made to block him and introduce myself.

He didn’t take it kindly. I was hardly through with introduction when he barked: “Young man, my office isn’t in the corridors. If you want to talk to me call my secretary and book an appointed.”

I was prepared for a hostile reaction anyway, so I pursued: “Sir, I have done so several times without success”, I told him as he walked away on me.

“Then be there at ten tomorrow,” he said without looking at me.

I was there half an hour earlier lest I risk another msomo (tonguelashing). I expected a hostile interview but, surprisingly, it did not turn out that way.

“Young man, now tell me what is it you wanted to hear from me,” he said as he led me to the lounge adjacent to his office.

Nyachae's fight back

I was straight to the point. “Generally tell me about your relationship with President Moi. What is the source of your disagreement? And what is your next political move?”

He gestured to indicate he liked the topic. 

A few days earlier, President Moi had made an oblique attack at people who had amassed great wealth courtesy of the Kanu government and were using the same wealth to fight the party from within.

“If they are men enough they should quit Kanu and fight it from outside”, the President said.

Everybody understood the attack to have been directed at Nyachae. Now he saw an opportunity to fight back.

“How dare Moi doubt my manhood when he has been to my kraal and met my wives and over two dozen children?” he opened the conversation.

Then he took me through long personal journey the two had travelled. They met when he was posted to Rift Valley and Moi was minister for Home Affairs and later Vice President.

“When I met Moi he had no more than three suits”, he alleged. “It is Kenneth Matiba and I who taught and helped him establish businesses. We helped him establish a successful beer distribution company and taught him large scale farming”, he said.

Political flak for Moi

Then he took me through long litany of how he had taken political flak for Moi and encouraged him to hang on even when the later found the going too tough and contemplated resigning as Vice President.

In the early years of independence, the mainstream Kalenjin leadership had no time for Moi who they regarded a “sell-out” for keeping quiet as “outsiders” acquired land in Rift Valley. 

Led by a fiery MP and later deputy Speaker of National Assembly, one Jean-Marie Seroney, the Kalenjin leadership met and made what was called Nandi Declaration where they sounded drums of war and vowed to stop encroachment of “their” land by “foreigners”. They also resolved to frustrate and sabotage Moi’s political career.

“As PC, Rift Valley, I am one who stood firm that Kenyans were free to legally own land and property anywhere in the republic,” Nyachae told me adding he at the same time used government muscle to ensure Moi was protected and given his respect as the No.2 in government hierarchy.

He also recalled an incident when Moi, after repeated humiliation by agents of those who didn’t want him succeed President Kenyatta, drove from Nakuru to Nyeri when Nyachae was Central PC, and confided in the later that he had “enough” and would resign as VP .

Nyachae told me that he hosted Moi at his home that night and asked him to sleep over the matter to discuss it with him in the morning.

“Come morning, I told him he was like a man in the middle of a bridge crossing a crocodile infested river. In that situation walking forwards is as dangerous as walking backwards. So better march on!” Nyachae recalled telling the VP who concurred.

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At the end of the interview, he instructed his driver to drop me back to office at Nation Centre. We parted ways as good friends. RIP, Mzee Nyachae.

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