A man who attempted to overthrow the government of President Jomo Kenyatta in 1971 has owned up to the mutiny and thanked God for saving his life.
Copral Mathani Ithui was among the Kenya Army servicemen sympathetic to the rogue Maj. Gen. John Ndolo, who attempted to unseat First President Jomo Kenyatta in 1971.
The attempted coup, first in Independent Kenya’s history, was allegedly engineered by then Chief Justice Maluki Kitili Mwendwa and Yatta MP Gedion Munyao Mutiso both deceased.
Maj. Gen. Ndolo was forced to resign, Mutiso was jailed, and Mr. Ithui escaped the hangman’s noose by the grace of God, or so he claims.
The former service man, who comes from Mwingi West constituency, confessed this during a Catholic Church harambee for the construction of Kavaliani Catholic Church on top of a hill.
The land was donated by Mr. Ithui in thanksgiving to God for saving him from the hangman. He told the congregation that his date with a hangman had been set for March 1973 but miraculously God saved his life.
He was released and has lived to tell the story.
He says he is willing to give his entire scenic land to help in evangelism.
