New details have emerged on how former President Daniel arap Moi mourned his son, Jonathan Kipkemboi Moi, following revelations captured in The President’s Press Man, a memoir authored by his longtime press secretary, Lee Njiru.
In the book, Njiru offers a deeply personal account of the events surrounding Jonathan Moi’s burial on April 27, 2019, painting a picture of a grieving father battling frailty in his final years.
He writes that Moi was unable to attend the funeral service held at Kabarak University due to ill health.
Instead, the former Head of State followed the proceedings from Kabarak Residence alongside veteran politician Charles Njonjo, as Njiru remained by their side throughout the ceremony.
Despite his condition, Moi later travelled to Kabimoi for the burial, determined to take part in the final rites.
Njiru recounts that the former president insisted on performing the culturally significant act of placing soil into his son’s grave.
However, too weak to alight from his vehicle, Moi placed soil into a plastic bowl. Bishop Silas Yego then carried the soil to the graveside and gently poured it into the grave, delivering a poignant farewell: “Bye, until we meet again, my son.”
Njiru describes the moment as emotionally overwhelming, admitting he struggled to contain his grief.
“The moment overwhelmed me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I empathised with Mzee’s profound grief,” he recalls, noting that he briefly withdrew to compose himself.
The emotional strain on Moi reportedly intensified after the burial.
According to Njiru, upon returning to Kabarak, the former president appeared disoriented and began to hallucinate, claiming he had just travelled from Kitale and was exhausted from the journey.
Njiru links this confusion to Bishop Yego’s presence, whose home is in Kitale — a place Moi frequently visited — suggesting it may have influenced his perception of events.
He describes the episode as heartbreaking, noting that Moi seemed unable to fully grasp that he had just buried his second-born son, underscoring both his frailty and the immense emotional burden he carried.
The account in The President’s Press Man provides a rare glimpse into Moi’s private grief, revealing a deeply human side of the long-serving leader during one of the most painful moments of his life.