Written By Henry Kimoli | |
Towards the tail end of President Daniel Arap Moi’s rule, the Fimbo wielding ruler was deeply isolated by the West.
Bretton Woods institutions turned off loans and grants taps.Moi panicked.
To hoodwink his tormentors that he was a reformist, Moi sacked Phares Kuindwa and replaced him with Richard Leakey.
Leakey came with his own conditions and baggage. He brought in Martin Oduor Otieno, John Munge, and Titus Naikuni.
Other members of the dream team were PSs Professor Migot Adhola, Wilfred Mwangi and Investment Secretary Mwangazi Mwachofi.
This created excitement and a buzz in the then moribund and dysfunctional civil service.
Leakey gave the civil service a shot in the arm and Moi some breathing space.
Some order or a semblance of it found its way in Government. Albeit short lived.
There was optimism that Leakey was going to slay the dragon of corruption. But instead, it consumed him.
Tellingly, it was during his short stint that the Anglo Leasing deals were signed.
It was also during this period that Samuel Gichuru and Chris Okemo authored the deals that have given them articles to UK jails.
Prior to his reign at Harambee House, Leakey was a noisy conservationist who gave Moi hell.
Leakey, a self confessed atheist is widely expected to be cremated.
Assuming that Moi is in heaven, he may not bump into Leakey in the afterlife.
