Jomo Kenyatta, the father of the nation, died on 22 August 1978 after fifteen years as Kenya's first and only president. He was old, infirm and had been ill for years. The constitution required that the Vice President, Daniel arap Moi, take over. The Kikuyu elite around Kenyatta had spent years trying to prevent this, attempting to change the constitution to block Moi's succession. They failed. Moi, from the smaller Kalenjin community, took power peacefully. Kenyans celebrated the smooth transition. Few could have imagined what was coming.