The delegation, led by El Herfi Salmane, Arafat’s adviser on African affairs, raised eyebrows in Western capitals after President Moi said he supported Palestine’s demand for a homeland. Moi had been invited to Saudi Arabia as part of geopolitics and to get Kenya on the Arab nation’s position regarding peace in the Middle East. Attorney-General Charles Njonjo and head of intelligence James Kanyotu had emerged as the bitter opponents of the opening of a PLO office in Nairobi. During his first visit to London in 1979, and as he was met by David Owen, President Moi was asked what he felt about the Kenya-Somali rapprochement and before Moi answered, Njonjo said in Kiswahili that the matter was not a priority — and Moi echoed the same to Owen. GEOPOLITICSWhat Kenyans have never realised was that Moi was thrown into high-stakes geopolitics when he got into office, and it appears that Saudi Arabia was one of the powerful forces pushing him.

Source: Daily Nation May 19, 2019 06:56 UTC