Each day pushes history creators away. As we speak, the corpse of Lt. Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi is lying in the mortuary.
The only enemy who has defeated Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi is death, but he has resisted it for a long. Even diabetes itself now knows it has fought with a formidable giant. When diabetes overpowered Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi, he did not fall down like a civilian. He fell down like a soldier. A soldier, when shot, falls forward. As he falls forward, he kneels as he throws back his gun, and then he prostrates.
Diagnosed with diabetes at its extreme point, he had his one leg amputated. But the merciless diabetes could not pity the hero. As a result, he had his other leg amputated, making him a cripple. He could only locomote while on a wheelchair; a mode of movement he sustained until he breathed last at 8:30 PM, Sunday, 30th March 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. You could see that the battle was between a lion and an elephant. Yes, the nickname of Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi was Ajong-kuöl-bët, meaning an eight-legged lion. He acquired such a rare nickname during the liberation struggle.
On one of the occasions, he explained how his nickname came about. He said he fell into an ambush by Arabs and when he saw he was overwhelmed, he retreated with his guards. But Arabs could not give him a chance to escape. They drove him into a water stream, thinking he would become vulnerable and surrender. But he jumped over the stream and safely vanished into the bush. When Arabs looked at the steps he took while crossing the water body, they could not believe such steps could be taken by a human being. One of the Arabs bit his thumb and said he is an 8-legged lion. Then people began calling him Ajong-kuöl-bët, meaning a lion with eight legs.
Gen. Ayual Makoi was a prominent member of the SPLM/A, becoming the first ever Commander of SPLA Commandos. Of all the political positions he had held, four were more pronounced. Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi served as an MP, Sudan National Legislative Assembly, and a Commissioner of Yirol County before the CPA was signed in 2005. Post-CPA, he served as a Minister of Education and Deputy Governor of Lakes State. For the love of his community, Gen. Ayual Makoi contested for the Chairmanship of Ciec Community Association and won a landslide victory in the 2018 election; a position he held until his death.
He was one of the very few Army Generals who spoke with eloquence, fluency and articulation. When invited, attendees carrying notebooks could return home with one page or two filled with his wise words. To me, such a great hero cannot be mourned for but celebrated as his rich legacy lives on. He has lived a good life. He has left his continuity. He is present while absent. He has passed on his education to his children by educating them well.
People come and go. No one comes to live forever. When I was young, I thought heroes were exempted from death. I thought they could die today and rise after three days, just like Jesus Christ did. Later, I understood it that when a hero dies, it is his body that has gone, but his spirit becomes a burning candle for the living. The history shall never forget Lt. Gen. Daniel Ayual Makoi. Heroes never die!
Thank you for reading “Sowing The Seed Of Truth”.