News about retired President Daniel Arap Moi’s death at the age of 95 caused a sombre mood in the country as many came to terms with the unfortunate eventuality.
He will be remembered as the no-nonsense president who governed Kenya for nearly 24 years.
It is worth noting that a wave of institutions and other public amenities being named after Moi swept through the country like a cyclone.
This happened just a few years after the retired president took over from Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, who passed on in 1978.
The idea behind naming things after the president, according to observers, was a desire by everyone to distance themselves from Moi’s political opponents and reassure him of their support.
A number of institutions were named after the Moi day:
Airports
- Moi International Airport- It is the second largest airport in Kenya, serving the city of Mombasa and surrounding areas. It is located in Mombasa County in a township called Port Reitz and handles local as well as international flights.
- Moi Air Base- It was formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport. It is a military airport located to the east of Nairobi, in the Eastleigh suburb.
Roads
- Moi Avenue(Nairobi)- Formerly First Station Road and Government Road. It is a major road inside the Central Business District of Nairobi and is intersected by Kenyatta Avenue, City-Hall Way and Haile Selassie Avenue, running West to East. It is one of the oldest roads in the city.
- Moi Avenue (Mombasa)- It is a primary roadway in Mombasa, Kenya. The road runs from west to east from Kilindini to a roundabout with Digo Road. Originally called the Kilindini Road, its name was later changed in recognition of Kenya's second President, Daniel Arap Moi.
- Moi Drive (Umoja Estate, Nairobi)- It is next to Umoja 1, It has a length of 4.24 kilometres.
Sports Grounds
- Moi International Sports Centre- It is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000 seat arena with a running track and a pitch used for football and rugby, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an indoor arena and a 108-bed capacity hotel.
- Moi Stadium (Kisumu)- It is a multi-use stadium in Kisumu, Kenya. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Kisumu All Stars F.C. The stadium holds upto 5,000 people.
Schools
- Moi Forces Academy- It is located along Juja Road next to Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi. It is a unique institution that starts has a nursery, pre-unit, primary and secondary school section.
- Moi High School Kabarak (Nakuru)- It is a private mixed-boarding school started in 1979 to offer secondary education to Kenyan students. It is located 20 km from Nakuru town, in the Rift Valley and shares the same compound with Kabarak University and Kabarak Primary.
- Moi Girls (Eldoret)- Located just outside Eldoret CBD, Moi Girls is a top national girls boarding school established in 1928.
- Moi Girls (Isinya)- This is a girls boarding school located in Kajiado North Constituency in Kitengela.
- Moi High School-Mbiruri (Embu)- It is located in Embu East Sub-county. It was established in 1953 as a primary school before becoming a secondary school in 1965, under the sponsorship of the Anglican Church. In 1966 it became a mixed secondary school.
- Moi University- It is a public university located in Kesses, Uasin Gishu County. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act, after recommendations from the McKay Commission.
Barracks
Moi Barracks, a military training school located in Eldoret which conducts an annual recruitment process for young men and women to join voluntarily.
