Eight things to know about the late Jonathan Moi
Former President Daniel Moi’s son, Jonathan Moi is dead and here is what you should know about him:
1. Age – Jonathan died at the age of 62. His friends simply called him JT.
2. Eldest son – He was the eldest son of retired President Daniel Moi and the late Lena Moi.
3. Rally driver – For sports lovers, Mr Jonathan is well known as a rally driver, a sport he engaged in the 80s and 90s. In his career as a rally driver he amassed numerous awards and participated in various competitions. He used to driver a Toyota Celica car. He retired from the sport in the early 2000.
4. Politician – In 2002, Mr Jonathan contested for the Eldama Ravine parliamentary seat but lost to Mr Musa Sirma. After the loss, he opted to stay out of politics and until his death he has been among those who have been advising his brother Gideon Moi on matters politics.
5. Implicated in a 1,000-acre land case worth Sh70 million – Mr Jonathan in 1994 sold a 1,000 acre parcel of land to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) which allegedly belonged to Ngong Forest. In 2017, he was in for a rude shock when the Kenya Forest Service gazetted the piece of land as part of Ngong forest. Mr Jonathan through his company rushed to court to oppose the move but lost the case.
6. Controversial son – Mr Jonathan’s son, Collins was in 2016 charged for stealing two phones worth Sh 20,000. The complainants were his daughter Ms May Chelimo and Betty Chebet and they said the incident happened in July 14. Collins denied the allegations and said that he took charge as a father and that the two girls might have left their phones in a taxi.
It is the same Collins who early this year hit news the headlines for abandoning his girlfriend Marsha Omario in a Kitale hotel after he failed to raise and clear a Sh 100,000 bill.
7. Julie Ward murder – Mr Jonathan was also adversely mentioned in the death of Julie Ward a British tourist who died in Maasai Mara National Game Reserve in September 1988. Julie, a young woman had travelled to the country for a seven-month wildlife photography excursion. Julie mysteriously disappeared in Kenya’s Masai Mara.
Jonathan has never been charged in a court of law over the same. In 2012, Jonathan denied claims that he killed Julie. The denial came after Julie’s father, John Ward, penned a lengthy piece for the Nairobi Law Monthly claiming that Jonathan raped and murdered his daughter.
“I am totally shocked to hear this,” Jonathan told The Star newspaper. “I had no relationship with the said lady (Julie) and I even didn’t know her. I never did such a thing and it has never crossed my mind to do it.”
8. Family – Apart from his controversial son, little is known about his family. Indeed, former president Mwai Kibaki mourned Jonathan, saying he was a private person.
“A self-effacing and private person, Jonathan will be remembered for his breakthroughs in motor sporting, farming and business,” said Mr Kibaki in a statement.