KILLING THE AFRICAN SUN Something happened in Mombasa in the first week of May 1968. Jomo Kenyatta suffered a serious stroke at his Bamburi home. And it raised a lot of fear that the Big Man may not last long.
Charles Njonjo, Mbiyu Koinange, Njoroge Muigai, James Gichuru and Ben Gethi rushed to his bedside. Mama Ngina, the First Lady, and Daniel arap Moi, the VP, rushed from Nairobi to join the ailing Big Man.
MORTAL FEAR Kenyatta had been battling ill health and advancing age for sometime. After the stroke, rumors began swirling that the President had passed on. The Daily Nation even prepared tribute.
There was a fear that his passing on would leave a very uncertain power vacuum given that he had not prepared as solid succession plan.
BLUE EYED BOYS Three candidates were primed for succession, Jaramogi having been shoved aside:- 1. James Gichuru 2. Tom Mboya, and 3. Daniel Moi
GICHURU Gichuru would have been ideal for the circle around Kenyatta. He was talented, intelligent and had a track record of excellent deeds. He had even created Central Bank and was instrumental in many ways.
But he was a hopeless drunkard and his health had taken a serious beating. He kept moving in and out of hospital and was written off as unviable. Many times Kenyatta had been implored to fire him but he retained him for his talent.
Give it to him, Kenyatta respected talent and picked the most gifted. This is a stark contrast from Daniel Moi who preferred thugs and dimwits.
MBOYA Mboya was the sun of the time. His brilliance shone with the light of a thousand stars. Most Kenyans had agreed that it was only him who was fit to take over from Kenyatta. This was also the case in cabinet, Parliament and among KANU delegates.
It is no secret that both the United States government and the British Intelligence, which had a huge sway on Kenyan politics then, clearly preferred Mboya.
MOI Moi, the then VP was trustworthy and had proved his loyalty when he supported the resettlement of Kikuyus in his native Kalenjin land. Unfortunately, he had a shambolic public image, had no international esteem and was generally colourless. He was not thought of seriously.
The clique preferred him because they thought he was weak and malleable and would not intefear with the resettlements in Rift Valley. Njonjo had thought of him as a "passing cloud" who would only warm the seat for a favoured Kikuyu candidate, yet to be groomed.
KIAMBU MAFIA The clique around Kenyatta had not produced a worthy candidate as most had soiled their reputation by engaging in flagrant tribalism, shameless corruption and and brazen land grabbing.
They made CIA and British operatives to keep revising what they perceived as the worst of African excesses. Only for them to again revise them upwards time and again.
They had to protect resettlement because they had taken much of the fertile land in Central after independence and the Kikuyus who had lost the "White Highlands" to British colonisation had to be accommodated elsewhere.
NIGHTMARE It was agreed that Mboya had to be quickly cut down to size as "time was running out" and Moi who was favoured 'seat warmer' was not "read". Kenyatta harangued Moi to build his image in the country as the establishment Presidential Successor.
But Mboya received financial support from the Americans and British government and this worried the clique. A smear campaign began painting Rateng' as a CIA spy or a British intelligence operative. But it fell on deaf years.
MBOYA PHOBIA The Kiambu Mafia feared Mboya for many reasons. Mostly because the law at the time was that Parliament would appoint an acting President in case of death of the sitting head of state. Mboya had the respect, sway and command of the house.
His economic and social thought and intense intellect kept the house in a spell. Many at times, even his greatest opponents, like Jaramogi, voted for his view wile reporting that 'they only support his ideas but not him'. Either way, the Bills and Policies passed.
He had full sympathies and respect of members. There is no way Moi could match Mboya. SUNGURA MJANJA TJ was brilliant, tactical and ruthless and the Mafia feared that.
Kiambu Mafia feared he would turn such traits against them. Mboya dealt with enemies with so much class and harsh that few dared to cross his line. He was nicknamed Sungura Mjanja in Bunge.
LUO FACTOR He was also a Luo. A big fear at the time. You see, Luos had entered into an agreement with the British to preserve their territory and lake from annexation in return for not engaging in armed strife against the white men and to support the regime with personnel.
This was approximately 60 years before Kenyatta succession debate. Luos went on to greatly prop up the administration by working as technicians, professionals, railway workers, artisans, masons, mechanics, drivers, clerks, teachers etc.
They enjoyed prosperity through that period and the British largely honoured their deal. Most communities lost land to the British but Luo land was not touched. Kikuyu, Kalenjins, Maasai, Meru, Kisii, Luhia and others lost land to Wasunge.
Luo agreement angered Kikuyus leading to regular conflicts in towns. Kikuys even assassinated the Cultural Leader of Luos outside Luoland- Ofafa Jericho during the colonial era and CMG Argwings Kodhek,
the brilliant Luo lawyer who defended and secured the release of many Kikuyu Mau Maus and petitioned the British Supreme Court to declare Kenyan confiscation illegal. He was nicknamed "Mau Mau lawyer", but he too was killed.
Kikuyus feared a Luo Presidency and began taking oaths over years. Especially a brilliant, powerful and connected Luo like Mboya was big concern to the Big Man and the Big Man's people.
PLOT In the end it was the fear of Luos as a nation and the fear of Mboya as a person which led the Mafia to plot his death. I'll be shedding light on the intersting intrigues around Mboya and Kenyatta succession .
