The midday sun was relentless, but crowds of people queued to gain access into Parliament Buildings where Mzee Moi’s body was lying for public viewing.
They came from far and wide, some with sentimental stories dating from way back.Edward Wafula, a soldier on off-duty, came to mourn his former commander-in-chief.He said he first interacted with him in the 80s when he was a young man just getting into the forces and Moi would make occasional stops at their station and interact freely with them.
Forever grateful
“I came here because he is a man I used to receive instructions from. I want to pay my last respects to him,” he said.Zillah Chuma spent Friday night in a bus from Mombasa hoping to arrive in Nairobi on time. She wanted to take a bow in front of Moi, who she is forever grateful for because of the free school milk programme, which she benefited from.
“He made me fall in love with school. We would sit in class and wait for our teachers to call us and say that our President has brought milk,” she said.The security officials manning the gates and the area around Parliament had a challenging time trying to control the crowd building by the minute.
Mothers with children on their backs, young people taking a lunch break from work, men whose faces were still stained with paint from a construction site where they were working – they all lined up, speaking in low tones and occasionally stretching their necks to see if the line was moving.Hosea Jumbe, 19, was a toddler when Moi’s rein ended. His only interaction with him has been on file images and videos.
He said since the death of the former President, he has been watching it all with curiosity.“The stories I hear made me interested in him. I get fascinated by the stories my parents tell. I wanted to see the person behind those stories, even if he is now rested,” said Jumbe.Others confessed that they just wanted to step into Parliament.
Smooth process
“I always see this building and wonder what goes on inside there. I will be paying my last respects to Moi but I hope that I will also get a chance to wander around, maybe even sit where the MPs do,” said one man in the queue. The security team was, however, on the lookout for anyone stepping out of the queue as members of the public were all expected to stay in a designated area.
After the viewing, most of them marveled at how considerate the security team had been and how they had been allowed to pay their last respects without harassment. “I thought the military would make things very difficult, but it was surprisingly smooth for us. The line was moving well,” said Jumbe.
