WHY MOI PICKED ME TO BE SPEAKER
EXERPTS FROM FRANCIS OLE KAPARO BOOK: CALMING THE STORMS
On December 1991, i had gone against the grain when i was still in the rather junior post of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Labor. There at the KANU Delegates Conference, i was the foolhardy one who went against the grain and urged President Moi to let Kenya revert to a multi party state. I had watched in dismay as sycophants fell over themselves, urging the Head of State not to heed the calls of those calling for plurality in Kenya and to ignore the pressure piled on him by the West.
Delegates at Kasarani urged the Head of State to ignore the likes of Kenneth Matiba, Martin Shikuku and Raila Odinga who were agitating for multi party democracy and their chorus was deafening. On the second day, i had my chance to address the gathering. After paying the necessary homage, i urged the Head of State to let us face our detractors, as i was certain we would vanquish them at the polls and outplay them in the National Assembly.
As soon as i was done, President Moi stood up and adjourned the meeting. There was dead silence. Kaparo was finished!. The only compliment came from Philip Leakey who at the time was the Assistant Minister for Natural Resources, ” My friend, you have four balls”, Leaky said to me. ” I have twelve”, I fired back. ” I keep the others in my pocket”. Hon William Ole Ntimama shook his head as he came to our delegation and said, ” I thought this fellow was smart, sorry to say he is just another fool”, It was a chilling putdown.
It was the loneliest adjournment i have ever endured. Nobody wanted to sit next to me, let alone engage in any conversation. As far as they were concerned, my goose was cooked. I had challenged the status quo and failed to toe the official line. I had departed from the beautiful chorus of those who had urged intransigence just the day before, those who had poured cold water on the mischievous surrender to cynical Kenyans to their foreign masters. Nominated member of Parliament Mark Tooo caught up with me and warned, ” At one o’clock, you will be dismissed”. “I heard my appointment as an Assistant Minister over the one o’clock bulletin and am not afraid to hear of my dismissal over that same bulletin”, I said…….. To be continued