The Day The President Came To Our Village

As Kenya marked 60 years since becoming a democratic republic, it reminded me of an incident in 1998 when then-President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi came to our village. In the spirit of NCBA Twende Mbele, the story gives me some nostalgic feelings.

In 1998, I was young and in primary school. I was in class three, under the 8-4-4 system. I was born when President Moi was already old. Those days, the only thing we knew was Moi. The only leader we knew was Moi. People would ask, “What is the name of Moi of Uganda?”

We were told that the President was coming to our village for a function at a neighboring girls’ school. We could see the signs given the activities that kicked off weeks before the D-Day. The area chief walked in every house telling people that Mtukufu Rais was coming.

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Villagers were told that they must come out in big numbers to receive the Big Man. The chief said those who would not attend would be arrested. Of course, he was lying but people took him seriously and they came out to attend all of them including their ancestors.

At school, we were “trained” on how to behave when the President came, even if he was to be miles away. Some of us who had no ambitions of being in any choir were forced to join the school choir, mostly consisting of screaming kids and led by a very old teacher who always told us he was born from a long line of musicians.

We were trained to sing great songs like “KANU YAJENGA NCHI”, “KARIBU BABA MOI”, and “CHAMA YA BABA NA MAMA” among others. We were told if we sang well, the President would give us sodas and sweets. For the first time, I knew how to sing though only my mother would love my singing. Not an audience.

On the D-Day, we woke up at 6 am. We were lined up on the side of the road where President Moi was scheduled to pass. The President was to come at 2 pm, but we started singing at 6 am while waving those small flags. There were so many kinds from more than 10 schools. Both sides of the road were full of kids waving flags and singing.

I remember the sun was scorching. By 11 am, most of us were already tired of singing and feeling thirsty. There was no sign of the President coming any time soon. But the teacher (the one who always said was from a long line of musicians) walked around with a big stick, ensuring that we continued singing.

By 1 pm, some of us could barely stand. But since we were nearing the time the President was to arrive, we were to continue singing. The mentioning that the President would give us sodas and bread made us hold on. The voice had grown faint though. Some sounded like frogs. But the President was coming.

At around 2 pm, we noticed a change in atmosphere. The police officers who were manning the crowds along the road certainly withdrew and ran towards the school where President Moi was to be. We heard intense cheering and singing from the school compound. Guess what, Moi had used a different route to access the school. I still suffer from that childhood trauma.

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