Moody Awori
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Moody Arthur Awori (born 5 December 1927) known as "Uncle Moody", is a former
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
n politician who served as the ninth
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
of Kenya from 25 September 2003Page on Awori at Vice-President web site
.
to 9 January 2008. He is also the author of ''Riding on a Tiger,'' an autobiography about his life in politics.


Personal life

Moody Arthur Awori was born in
Butere Butere is a town in Kakamega County, which was formerly part of the Western Province of Kenya. According to the 2019 Kenya National Census, it has an Urban population of 154,100. Until 2010, Butere served as the capital of the former Butere/M ...
the capital of the former Butere/Mumias District to Canon Jeremiah Awori and Mariamu Awori.Kenya Government Bio
.
He was one of their 16 children, a good number of whom went on to hold different senior positions in politics, medicine, and other sectors. Awori's eldest brother, Musa, died of a snake bite in infancy. His older brother, W.W.W. Awori, served on the
Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...
in the 1950s. His younger brother Aggrey Awori is a politician in
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
who came third in the presidential elections of 2001. His sister, , is a founder and CEO of the Makini Schools. His brother, Professor Nelson Wanyama Awori, led the team that carried out black Africa's first successful kidney transplant which was performed at Nairobi Hospital in 1978. Another brother, Hannington Ochwada Awori, was one of the pioneer civil engineers in Kenya. Moody Awori attended
Mang'u High School Mang'u High School is a Kenyan Roman Catholic National High School established in 1925, located in Kiambu County along the Thika Road, Nairobi-Thika Highway from Thika, Kenya. Mang'u High School is ranked among the top schools nationwide in Ken ...
, and later joined Kakamega School. Subsequently, he studied at
Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...
in Uganda. He is a devout
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
.


Politics

Moody Awori was first elected as a Member of Parliament representing Funyula Constituency in Busia District in Western Province in 1984.Kenya Parliament profile
.
Under President
Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...
, he served in several positions as assistant minister. Awori broke with the ruling party, KANU, in 2002 and joined the
National Rainbow Coalition The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) is a political party in Kenya. As an alliance, it was in power from 2002 and 2005 when it collapsed due to disagreements between members over a constitutional referendum. Formation In preparation of the 2002 ...
opposition party, and served as chairman of NARC's top decision making organ. When Moi was succeeded by
Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including ...
, Awori was made Minister of Home Affairs in January 2003 and then vice-president (while remaining in charge of Home Affairs) in September 2003, following the death of the previous vice-president, Michael Kijana Wamalwa, in London. In the December 2007 parliamentary election, he lost his parliamentary seat., ''The Standard'', 9 January 2008. On 8 January 2008, Kibaki named
Kalonzo Musyoka Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (born 24 December 1953) is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African Nat ...
to replace Awori as vice-president and Minister of Home Affairs, and Awori handed over the office on 9 January. Awori, describing Musyoka as "a friend and political son", said that he believed Musyoka was "equal to the task", while Musyoka said that he had "deep respect" for Awori, who he called "a true gentleman".Mutinda Mwanzia
"Kenya: Awori Hands Over to Kalonzo"
''The East African Standard'', 10 January 2008.


Anglo Leasing Scandal

Awori has recently been implicated in the Anglo Leasing scandal in a report published on 22 January 2006 by
John Githongo John Githongo (born 1965) is a former Kenyan journalist who investigated bribery and fraud in his home country (Kenya) and later, under the presidency of Mwai Kibaki, took on an official governmental position to fight corruption. In 2005 he lef ...
. He has insisted upon his innocence and refused to resign, saying he saw no reason to. In February 2006, eighty Members of Parliament demanded his resignation, threatening street protests if their requests were not met. A few days later protestors on the streets of
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
called for his resignation as part of a wider anti-corruption demonstration. After this was not achieved, the Social Reform Centre said that he was undermining the integrity of his office by refusing to step down and promised to continue protesting. In a 22 February interview with the Public Accounts Committee Awori blamed
civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
s, claiming to have been misled and that he had had nothing to do with any wrongdoing."Kenyan VP passes buck over graft"
BBC News, 22 February 2006.


Awards

Moody Awori was the founder and chairman of the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries. He holds an honorary doctor of laws degree from the
Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...
in the United States of America. He was awarded the degree in May 2004 in recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the disadvantaged in society, particularly the disabled and the poor. tute of Secretaries. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the nation and the society in general, the Kenyan Government decorated him with two high level State awards – Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) and Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH). On the eve of his 91st birthday, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him the chair of the Sports Funds Board, saying that young people have for far too long been appointed to those positions but failed to stop theft of public funds, so it was time to try an older Kenyan. The President asked Kenyans who thought Uncle Moody was too old for the task to leave him alone.


References


External links

*
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

Article on Awori's involvement in the scandalSouthern New Hampshire University Catalog 2012-2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awori, Moody 1928 births Living people Vice-presidents of Kenya Kenyan Roman Catholics Makerere University alumni Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Kenya African National Union politicians National Rainbow Coalition politicians Members of the National Assembly (Kenya) Government ministers of Kenya Alumni of Mang'u High School Alumni of Kakamega School Elders of the Order of the Burning Spear People from Butere