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It is only right that I conclude my annual tribute to Tom Mboya this year by explaining the reason why this assassination of 38 years ago is so important and relevant to Kenya today. And why we as Kenyans need to face this old "skeleton in our closet" before we can expect to move forward.
Tom Mboya's assassination started a very dark and macabre trend in Kenyan politics where anybody who appears to speak for the masses gets eliminated. After Mboya's assassination JM Kariuki was never the same person and there is no doubt that he clearly saw the coming crisis in Kenya and put it into those famous words that cost him his life;
"We do not want to see a Kenya of 10 millionaires and 10 million beggars…"
It was only a matter of time before JM was murdered.
And of somebody thought that the long string of political assassinations had ended with the Kenyatta administration, they were dead wrong because Robert Ouko a cabinet minister who refused to join the gravy train of massive corruption in the Moi cabinet and by extension had the greater good of the Kenyan nation and its' people at heart was also eliminated. The fascinating thing about the Ouko assassination is the fact that Ouko was a political nobody in Kenya and mainly made his mark as foreign affairs minister (some say the very best Kenya has produced). But the dead Ouko is a totally different cup of tea because death elevated him to political heights that he never enjoyed when he was alive.
Retired Superintendent John Troon says that his investigations point to Ouko being eliminated by executive order. In Kenyan-speak his assassination was ordered from the top. (Read Kumekucha's candid interview with John Troon some months ago).
In order to ensure that this tred is broken, Kenyans have to go back to where it all started—Mboya's assassination, resolve it and then work our way forward until we reach the Ouko murder.
Let us do everything in our power to ensure that Tom Mboya's ultimate sacrifice to the cause of Kenya and Kenyans was not in vain.
The photographs Kumekucha feared to publish.
Horror of Kenyan with female sex organ sharing cell with men at Kamiti Prison
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Chris, take this point, many of the people who know or have an idea of how TJ died are no longer alive. We can write tens and tens of stories, analysis and critiques but the bottom line is that the people who know that truth will not respond.
ReplyDeleteIt is a case of 'I have said what I have said, whether you hear or not, is up to you'.
Chris and the other visitors to this blog should not look further than the Robert John Ouko case, which will remain unsolved until eternity.
Right in our midst, the alleged killers walked freely, enjoyed government perks and to some extent served in government. I don’t want to point fingers, but just look at the Ouko inquiry and deduce for yourself, the high-handedness that the government treated such an important thing.
The evidence was there, everything was in place to arrest the suspects, the government officials were all crossing each other's paths with skewed evidence and yet, the people were free.
Take an example of that DC who covered half the distance of the Busia-Mombasa road in three hours of one night. What more evidence was there? Then in the Got Alila thicket, if it was not spin, what was that boy (Shikuku or Sikuku) doing there.
I believe even the bravest Moran warrior gang could have been threaten to walk into that place. But then this boy walked through to that place and saw the smouldering corpse. Conspiracy. As John Troon said, "I wonder what he was doing and why, no professional counsellors were sent to handle him for evidence".
Many theories have been advanced for the Mboya death. It was at the height of the Cold War, there was the ideological war between Oginga Odinga and Jomo Kenyatta. Mind you Mboya was said to have been an American point man in the region.
After all our talk, the person we will have to think and put the blame on is the same person that makes decision. The POLITICIAN. The same people who said that JM Kariuki’s death was a passing cloud. The Politician.
Have you noticed something peculiar about the three murders in this post, all the victims died fighting for some kind of justice, or failed to be entangled in corruption dealings. Scarificed by the state. All three, and all three have elicited funny comments from the government part.
To thank Mboya, he played his part, gave us the independence, through his personal; influence had California Estate in Nairobi built (by a construction company from California, USA) and above all, a legacy in trade unionism, politics, patriotism and true nationalism.
There is and shall only be one TJ Mboya.
Let us not beat about the bush any more. Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi were two murderous presidents. Some say Mboya was killed by Oginga Odinga but to me that is a fallacy. Tom Mboya's death was ordered by non other than jomo Kenyatta, the president. This is pretty much the same way John Robert Ouko's death was ordered by Moi. What I believe though, and this is a very personal opinion, is that these two individuals were killed not because of their alledged fighting for the masses, but coz of some high stakes power games. If Kenyatta had reason to kill the champion of the people, then the target should have been Oginga Odinga and not Tom Mboya. If Moi wanted to kill the champion of the people from the luo nation, the target should have been Oginga Odinga and not Robert Ouko.
ReplyDeleteWe can play with words the much we like but the bottom line is that no murder is excusable. When Chris says we need to start with Mboya's death, i differ. We should question the gunning down of Pio Gama Pinto who died because of his stand against bad governance. After we are done with this one, we should try to solve the Mboya mistery, the JM one, Alexander Muge's, John Robert Ouko's and so on. The disappearance of a great kenyan by the name Kungu Karumba should be questioned with the same zeal the Mboya one is being done. Perhaps even people who were close to Kenyatta like Mboya knew something about his disappearance. No animals are more equal than others and I acknowledge the fact that all we can do is to raise our objections to these assasinations but let us not try to be inexplicably picky about it. This is what some of u call tribalism and on the same breadth, this is what I call tribalism.
Thomas Mboya did his part. History will always judge him very favourably, but in the same way we feel Kenyatta day should be renamed mashujaa day to take on board the other kenyans who perhaps did even more than Kenyatta did, this Mboya commemoration week should include the other matyrs who obviously did more than Mboya. It's unfortunate that the government and people of Kenya have a tendancy to forge their liberators, but again who am i to dictate to people who to celebrate?
Couldn't agree more with brother Vikii. Objectivity occasionally get
ReplyDeleteobscured while pursuing expediency. No murder is excusable ad all
murderers ms be brought to book alive or posthumously. Only such a
cleansing will wash. All other substitutes are apparent motions with
no commensurate movements.
Our bane remans personalized governance and leaders surrounding
themselves with tribesmen (yes that word has no suitable
substitute). JK may have no directly ordered TJ's death neither did
Moi for Ouko. But the courtier of Kiambu mafia and NKKB (Nick mafia)
respectively were the real power (read devil) behind he thrown. Our
presidents become hostage to these self-seekers and Kamau and Moi
had no options after the executions but to roped in lest their
covers got blown. That is the nature of blackmail.
True, TJ was great and his memory can catapult a caring nation to
bigger things. Big ideals originate from such small dreams. We all
owe them and out motherland continuity with even higher benchmarks
(not tokenism).
Why is Taabu's comment taking only one side of the page or is it my computer? it is looking beauriful
ReplyDeleteAnon I am not sure of what to make of your 'complain' above. You never know human being, ama? Nontheless I hope you are able to read and engage fellow Kenyans.
ReplyDeleteVikii are you there bro? Just read your post and as was watching Nadal scare Federer for the last 4 hours, I thought it obligated to clarify a point or two. I am familiar with your middle name (controversy) but at no juncture do I draw slightest pleasure in failing to appreciate ANY point of view. You always agree to diagree and that is your beauty. The Ndethis stuff is figurative and I know you get the gist, no offense intended nor implied.
My post jana was in response to the faceless anon who jibed at Chris with his off tangent stuff. I respect his comments but just wanted to remind him that it is never personal. Again, sorry man having read too much in there, it wasn't you brother (not Shaggy style). BB will never hurt you and I was only playing my self-abrogated ecop role. Great weekend to all Kenyans (including Anon who brands me childish, kids are innocent and beautiful, aren't they?). Congrats to Federer for his historic win and Nadal for showing how to lose with respect.
Taabu I have no problem with u at all. If anything I consider u my teacher coz u may never know how much I have learnt from u through this blog. When I call u mwalimu Taabu, it is not something i just say. Only a fool will despise the kind of knowledge u have shown here.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did not like Taabu is the fact that u guys were hitting Derek too hard for no apparent reason. I apologize if I over reacted but ma attack on u was purely based on the response u accorded Derek for expressing his views.
I have tremendously benefitted from ur mastery of the English language on top of learning the need to appreciate the other side of opinion. This, may be debatable to some peole, but believe u me, I am now a more respectful peron than I was a few months ago. This I owe to a very large extent, to Taabu and Phil regardless them holding different political opinions from mine.
Once again thanks bro for being Taabu. I will be on my way to the UK soon and I owe u a barbecue. Am not kidding!
Wow! Guys? What in the hell is going on here? It’s actually very distasteful and uncomfortable reading the numerous ‘to and fro’ apologies from grown ass men. This is not even civility any more…….. it borders on blossoming flowers.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, solving past murder mysteries? Not going to happen….obvious reasons. Further, I’m unsure how that heals a nation. How much unity will come out of confirming that Oyato pulled the trigger that fell the types of Mboya, JM etc? It will just give aggrieved chaps more fire in the belly.
Personally, I think that extinguished heroes should remain as mystical as the reasons for their demise. In Mboya, we find not only an independence hero, but an opportunity to create a lasting image of what Kenyans should strive to be. The possibilities are endless. The way I see it, in about 200 years, primary school children should be studying of how Mboya actually rose to the skies in the company of white doves. I’m talking about a “Luanda Magere” type of figure.
Rather than ruffle incomplete investigative files on the disappearance of jamaas, let’s focus on their ideals that can make Kenya stronger. I’d rather see a poster that screams “be a statesman like Mboya!!” instead of one that menacingly asks “Who killed Mboya?”.
Let us not forget that murder is part of politics. Sometimes, when you do not agree, you are taken out of the equation. Not to say that we should lynch Kalonzo (Maanzo first) but believe me this type of chaps will never be surprised when they find themselves untimely chatting with Angel Gabriel……trying to rig themselves into heaven. Their realities are not as naïve as ours. They are politicians and they in fact walk around with bodyguards.
All these heroes have always been ready to give up their lives for the motherland.
Thinking more about this heroism stuff, we could borrow leaves and even branches from the nations that we so much want to undeniably personify. Think of characters like Julius Caesar, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Mahatma Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, JFK etc. These chaps were womanizers, drunks, slave owners, gamblers, corrupt, executed and as fallible as you and I. However, his-story has ‘correctly’ exaggerated their ideals purposely to create national heroes capable of striking the nerves of their respective citizenry. They are all bastions of hope and patriotism.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kenya lacks is such icons. In truth, Mboyas’ life, achievements, selflessness does not need exaggeration to be noteworthy. This man was many things lacking in Kenyan leadership today. The quagmire in trying to define the relevance of Mboyas life in today’s Kenya is as polarized as our damn selves. One side questions whether he’s worth the recognition whereas the other side would love the answer to why and who took him out. What is being neglected is the stuff that makes heroes….. such as simply the genuine relentless fight for the common man. Focusing on just that one strain of this chaps life can produce a figure like Mao.
Yearly tributes are great but I think the focus should shift from reexamining and refuting 40 year old evidence of foul play to pronouncing the real and ‘imagined’ greatness of Tom Mboya.
The swahili say "Ukimwamusha alalaye ......
ReplyDelete