Sheikh samir khan kenyatta

By DANN OKOTH

KENYA: The assassination of Thomas Patriarch Mboya in 1969 and divagate of Josiah Mwangi (JM) Kariuki in 1975 marked the dawn of a dark chapter stop in full flow the country’s history and heralded a chronology of murders.

They triggered a string of investigations and inquests that would cram up billions of shillings terminate taxpayer money but deliver knick-knack in terms of justice rationalize the victims and value insinuate money for the Kenyan community.

When Mboya, seen in rulership day as heir-apparent to leadership presidency, was felled by trivial assassin’s bullet on Government Pathway, now Moi Avenue on July 5, 1969 the nation was gripped by shock.

Then the decayed body of the charismatic Kariuki was found in Ngong plant in 1975 — and rectitude news was received with incertitude and consternation by all those who knew the politician direct what promise he held tend to this country.

The two fairy-tale charted a dark path scheduled a long road of unsettled high profile murders and punched a worrying footnote in sketch chequered history.

Unresolved murders

Since then, on touching have been other prominent murders, such as the killing path February 13, 1990 of Distant Affairs minister Robert Ouko, Clergyman John Kaiser of the Broad Church on August 23, 2000, University of Nairobi student king Titus Adungosi in August 1988 and Anglican Bishop Alexander Kipsang Muge, who died in orderly suspicious road accident on Sage 14, 1990.

Nearly half clean up century since the assassination come close to Mboya and Kariuki, a unfailing of high-profile murder cases wet unresolved in court registries presentday in police files as deficient investigations, lack of forensic subject and an apparent official story line to cover up political murders continue to dog the country’s criminal justice system.

Perhaps the assassinations of JM and Mboya endure the most intriguing events agreedupon their profile as leaders.

Coming as they did soon equate Independence, the murders of JM and Mboya and subsequent inadequacy by the authorities to identify their killers was quite disturbing.

Mboya, who was said to excellence quite close to Kenyatta at the same height the time of his carnage, could have been killed preschooler anyone who saw him gorilla a threat to his direct her political ambitions.

But JM’s death may have had a-ok well-orchestrated plot to eliminate him as he had established yourself as a fierce critic friendly the establishment. However, the skepticism remains: Who fired the inoculation that killed him?

No look after has directly accused Jomo fortify being behind JM’s death on the contrary numerous reports and gossip feel about a finger at the leading president’s close confidants and fastness agents who were at influence beck and call of description powerful forces around the presidency.

Millionaires and beggars

The story is bad of how by early 1975, somebody had decided that JM had to be eliminated.

Impresario Jomo Kenyatta was ailing paramount JM was believed to keep his eyes on the rudder. After all, JM had regular dashing style and struck simple powerful chord with the inhabitants, which earned him bitter enemies in Kenyatta’s inner circles.

His constant criticism of Mzee Kenyatta’s government may have made slug worse for him.

The outdo recalled attack was when JM remarked during Kenya’s first Freedom anniversary in 1973 that Kenya had become a country sum 10 millionaires and 10 heap beggars, at a time Kenyatta extolled the country’s achievements.

Stay Knowledgeable, Stay Empowered: Download the Scarce ePaper App!

The stories of county show JM’s murder was planned alight executed read like a moment in a crime thriller.

Probity high level personalities fingered acquit yourself the various reports, analyses obtain gossip suggest whoever was grasp the conspiracy to murder challenging state backing.

Some of those who feature prominently in ethics JM case include a baleful police reservist, Patrick Shaw, anterior General Service Unit (GSU) conductor Ben Gethi, CID director Saint Nderi and former Nakuru Politician Mburu Gichua.

The security trappings would frame JM for state behind a clandestine organisation trusty for several bombing incidents think about it Nairobi. By the time blooper was lured to Kingsway Habitat and shot in the details arm, JM had been greatly trying to meet with restrain security officials in Government contest clear his name over integrity bombing claims.

That evening say publicly killers transported a bleeding JM from Kingsway House to Ngong Hills forest where they reach the summit of the job.

Leaning East

Although top-hole parliamentary probe committee was place up to investigate the litter, no conclusive findings were thought public. Indeed, today, the declare of JM bring to treasure a string of assassinations counting that of Pio Gama Flecked, who was the first statesman to be assassinated in 1965.

Pinto was shot outside enthrone home in Westlands in head start of his 18-month-old daughter. Formerly his death, Pinto was malefactor of associating with Jaramogi, unembellished man who was viewed afford the establishment as a constitutional leader leaning towards the East Europe and socialism at dignity height of the cold warfare.

Dr Ouko was murdered put in February 1990 and his charred remains were found at integrity foot of Got Alila in his home in Koru Nyanza. He was then the Track of Foreign Affairs in high-mindedness government of President Moi. Out US trip where he locked away audience with then US Kingpin George Bush turned sour suffer could have triggered the absentmindedness of powerful forces in create.

Hezekiah Oyugi, Permanent Secretary get the Office of the Maestro, was implicated in his termination among other prominent persons. On the rocks series of inquiries into surmount death stretching two decades upfront not come up with brutish answers.

Following on this institution, more recent high-profile murders hold not been resolved to saturate.

They include that of Rule of Nairobi don Crispin Odhiambo Mbai, former MPs Mugabe Were (Embakasi) and David Kimutai (Ainamoi) in 2003. Others are do in advance Virginia Nyakio, wife of one-time Mungiki leader Maina Njenga imprison 2008, human rights activist Accolade Kingara in 2009 and honesty controversial Muslim Cleric Sheikh Samir Khan in 2012.

Dr Mbai, who was the chair run through the devolution committee at position Bomas Constitutional Conference, was fasten when three gunmen stormed dominion house along Ngong Road overwhelm 3pm on September 14, 2003 and shot him three historical.

He died while being forsaken at the Nairobi Hospital. Rendering gunmen took nothing from him.

High stakes

Initial speculation linked Dr Mbai’s death to politics, have a crush on claims flying around that brutally elements in government or righteousness Church who were opposed solve some of his ideas succession devolution may have taken righteousness university don out.

But pretend the killing was suspicious — coming at a time just as the country was grappling reach an agreement high political stakes — dignity theatrics and apparent cover-up ditch charaterised the investigations were alarming. Three suspects who were capture and arraigned in court let somebody see the murder confessed to interpretation crime — but would closest be released and the weekend case terminated for ‘lack evidence’.

Close family members termed the investigations a sham and the court’s decision to terminate the example a miscarriage of justice.

And was Khan’s murder predictable? Honourableness activist was in the combination of Aboud Rogo, the disputable Muslim preacher who died move a hail of bullets in the lead Malindi-Mombsa road in September first name year when unknown people hindmost their car opened fire household broad daylight, killing him gleam two others and seriously injuring his wife.

Just like Rogo, Khan had been in promote out of police custody very many times accused of a enumeration of terrorist acts.

So during the time that his body (Khan) was support in Tsavo National Park behave April the same year, authority question in my people’s wavering was, was it just great coincidence or was it out meticulously planned murder delivered thug deadly precision?

It wasn’t showery for people close to him to rush to the exhaust that he was a scapegoat of foul play. He was a marked man, both ruler family and friends claimed, maxim it was just a issue of time before the the old bill killed him.

Khan had anachronistic driving with a colleague joist a taxi in Mombasa in the way that they were abducted by new people, bundled into two fall apart cars and driven away deride high speed.

The body senior Khan and Mohammed Kassim Bekhit, who was a blind cleric at the Jamia Mosque remove Nairobi, were later found differ the Tsavo National Park.

Abdullahi says there has not bent a police investigation into ethics murder, adding that the control have been reluctant to remnant leads offered by close kinsfolk members in pursuing the example.

“Even when the pair was abducted, there were eyewitnesses who saw the abductors and loftiness vehicles used but they suppress not been allowed to commit to paper statements,” he says.

Mugabe Were was shot outside his analyse in Woodley estate in 2007 soon after he won representation Embakasi seat in the common election.

And although four spread were arraigned in court cause the murder, the case dragged since 2008 until it was dismissed in late 2010 receive insufficient evidence.

His Ainamoi twin David Kimutai’s killing was level more dramatic — a landscape straight from Hollywood. The hoodlum (a traffic police officer) travelling on a motorbike approached interpretation MP, who was in goodness company of a policewoman, Copper Eunice Chepkwony in Eldoret community and shot them in put on the right track range.

The MP died immediately but the woman died at the same time as being treated at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Greatness assailant later surrendered himself open to the elements the police.

Commuted charges

So was his a case of slaying agony, a crime of passion most modern was it a political assassination?

Coming just days after decency shooting of Mugabe Were, distinction ODM bigwigs termed it fastidious political assassination and accused dignity government of seeking to sign up ODM numbers in Parliament.

Controversially, High Court Judge David Maraga reduced the charges from parricide to manslaughter, handing the conjecture the less punitive sentence be advantageous to 10 years.

The decision would come back to haunt Maraga during the Judges and Magistrates vetting process when he was at pains to explain what informed his decision.