Kenyan President sacks deputy

Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi today sacked his longtime deputy and ally George Saitoti in a growing dispute over who will succeed the despot when his term runs out in January.

Saitoti is one of four members of the ruling party seeking the presidential nomination in opposition to Moi’s favoured candidate.

The announcement was made on the 1 pm news on state radio – the traditional outlet for letting Cabinet members know they are no longer needed.

Saitoti, who had held the non-elected vice presidential post for 11 years, said he would continue to pursue his quest for nomination as the presidential candidate of Moi’s Kenya African National Union.

Saitoti and three cabinet ministers are seeking the presidential nomination for general elections expected to be held before the end of the year.

But Moi, who has said he will step down when his second and final, five-year elected term ends in January, is backing Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, as the party’s candidate.

No date has been set for either the Kanu nominating convention or the elections. Moi is responsible for scheduling both.

Moi, 78, took over on Kenyatta’s death in 1978 and was subsequently elected, then re-elected three times under a one-party system. Kenya returned to a multi-party system in 1991 and Moi easily won two subsequent elections.

He has accused the four Kanu aspirants of attempting to divide and destroy the party that has ruled Kenya since independence from Britain in 1963.