Miguna Miguna a casualty of Raila’s campaign for a better presidential image

PM Raila Odinga, the real winner of the 2007 presidential general elections has not yet announced his bid for the presidency in 2012 but it is clear that his campaign has already started in earnest and kicked into a higher gear in recent times.

Miguna Miguna, one of his closest aides and confidants seems to have been caught in the crossfire of Raila’s preparations and was last night summarily fired for what the PM’s office referred to as “gross misconduct.” Read the story HERE.

With the Prime Minister who will now look odd without the burly figure constantly at his side.

Clearly what Raila is currently doing is trying to clean up the image around him and portray a more national and presidential outlook. Little wonder that Salim Lone, the man responsible for building Raila and ODM’s formidable image so quickly and effectively in 2007 is being seen tailing the PM much more frequently. Quite a contrast from what has been happening where Miguna Miguna has been sticking closer than a fly to Raila. Only that the latter is rather burly and has such an imposing presence that my imagery seems comically out of place for somebody familiar with him.

Experts in image building have for a long time been wondering about this man called Miguna Miguna. A confrontational, aggressive and take-no-prisoners character the Canadian lawyer has all along been behaving more like a student leader than a presidential advisor.

There have been numerous calls for his sacking which have so far been ignored by the PM. Little wonder that he received the news of his sacking yesterday with shock saying that he was yet to receive any communications.

As a student in Njiris high school 1984

While he served at Raila’s side it was often clear that his powers extended well beyond his docket of advisor on coalition matters. In recent days there have been whispers that Raila is keen to strike a deal with close allies of Mwai Kibaki in an effort to make what he sees as his own ascension to the presidency in 2012 smoother. Since Miguna hardly ever used to leave the PM’s side and has on numerous occasions even been captured in posed official photos that were only meant for those in cabinet, it was predictable that he would start being excess buggage to the PM sooner rather than later. Indeed any negotiations with PNU in the presence of Miguna Miguna would not go down well because it is said he leaves a bad taste in the mouths of PNU big wigs which would make a favourable outcome for his boss virtually impossible.

But who is Miguna Miguina?

Mr Miguna was a BA arts student at the University of Nairobi before he was arrested and briefly detained in 1987 by the then dreaded Special branch. Although he was later released, he was expelled by University authorities and fled to Tanzania shortly after that. He managed to obtain temporary political asylum in Swaziland (Africa) before being granted more permanent status in Canada where he completed his studies and also qualified as a lawyer. That is where he was practicing law mainly as an immigration lawyer before his dramatic return to Kenya and Raila’s side in 2004.

Addressing students as Finance Secretary of SONU at the University of Nairobi in 1987.

He was one of the ODM parliamentary aspirants for Nyando constituency but did not make it to the ballot stage. Technically Miguna Miguna did not even qualify because the Kenyan constitution at the time did not allow for dual citizenship and Mr Miguna has always held Canadian citizenship since he started practicing law in that country. Talk of impunity by somebody fighting against impunity in others.

Curiously one of the places where there is generous celebration this morning at the sacking of Miguna is at Makini school where his children go to school. Teachers at the famous school have been bitterly complaining of harassment from the PM’s aide who is said to frequently call them very late at night usually shouting and warning them to give special treatment to his children and to “stop being harsh” towards them.

TJ monument finally goes up as Kumekucha releases new secrets from past assassinations

TJ monument finally goes up as Kumekucha releases new secrets from past assassinations

My late dad used to fondly refer to him as TJ and he could never stop talking about him. The man was assassinated when I was only 5 years old in 1969 and so I knew little about the man

I went out and did some serious research. It did not take me long to realize why the man had so mesmerized my dad. I was quickly converted.

And so when I launched this blog I hit the ground running campaigning very hard for the recognition of the man and for his killers to be brought to book. But to be honest with you, I never thought for a minute that in my lifetime I would see what I saw yesterday. Finally a monument in honour of a great son of Kenya has gone up in the CBD.

In case you still have no idea what I am talking about, I am of course referring to Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya, or simply Tom Mboya. Sadly my dad did not live to see the country finally remember this man they were once determined to forget. Great pity. He would have loved it for sure.

The monument is stationed about 50 metres from the exact spot where TJ stopped two bullets from an assassin on that fateful lunch hour 5th July 1969 outside a chemist.

Interesting coincidence because I have just completed my latest book, Political assassinations in Kenya where I reveal some fascinating new information on the biggest political assassinations in Kenyan politics and those who were involved. Tom Mboya, Pio Gama Pinto, JM Kariuki and Masinde Muliro. Yes many Kenyans don’t even know that Muliro was assassinated. Very neat clinical job but it was an assassination and this becomes very clear when you study what happened after his death. Actually this is the only political assassination in Kenya that I know of that achieved its’ objectives.

The reason why I did this book and chose this particular topic was because there have been fears that masters of impunity in the country who are not happy with the reforms and new constitution will revert to political assassinations. I hope that this never happens and so I decided to do this book to reveal the full horror of assassinations so that Kenyans get very determined for us never to return anywhere near that bloody path of the past.

I have plenty of free information on the book. All you need to do is fill in your email address in the pop up box that appears after you click HERE.

Right now I am so excited about the new TJ monument.

If it is true that constitutions are written in blood then TJ’s blood is amongst the blood of other Kenyans that wrote our current brand new constitution.

RIP TJ!!!

Get a sneak preview of Kumekucha’s new book: "Political Assassinations in Kenya"