Charles Mugane Njonjo. Why did he, if at all attempt to topple President Moi in 1982?
He was accused of the grave offense, found guilty but was forgiven.
So why? Njonjo wanted Moi to be a toy President.
Moi played him along and even allowed him to plan a coup. And use the excuse to retire him from politics permanently.
Make no mistake. Njonjo was not acting alone. He had friends in high places and in Government.
He had planted his own spies within the security network. But Njonjo forgot the intelligentsia community has no friends. Only interests to protect.
And so when he thought he had it planned, these gurus of espionage filtered into his system and those of ill equipped junior 82 Air force officers. And bursted the coup.
Njonjo was aptly branded a traitor. Moi and his brutal secret service wanted Njonjo burried alive.
But Njonjo was not a rural folk. He was an agent of many foreign missions, chief among them the United Kingdom.
He was the to go business person and quasi political fix it for the former colonial masters.
He acted as the Government Relations spin doctor for UK interests.
It is these connections that saved him from the hangman’s noose….and would have joined Private Hezekiah Ochuka in the gallows.
It was the coup attempt that converted Moi into a dictator, and a money spinning President. Graft rose sharply after 1982.
The Kikuyu and Kalenjin pretence to friendship ended with Njonjo.
And the phrase “to cut the Kikuyu community to size” gained ground around this time.
Njonjo was the de facto legal advisor for the UK foreign office.
For many years, he was in the page 1 list of dignitaries for cocktails.
Until grease evaporated from his knees.
Njonjo was Moi’s business partner.
During their Daniel-Charles days, they acquired stakes in blue chip firms that they mortgaged through the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
Njonjo was a supporter of Raila Odinga until his death on the second day of January.
He was also the facto leader of the Anglican Church, whose decisions he heavily influenced.
Njonjo had only one suit. The stripped three piece machine made in London.
They were laundered from London.
The regalia had his initials emblazoned with fine print.
Each morning, he spotted a new carnation flown from London.
His decision to be cremated was vintage Njonjo.
He hated communities that wasted too much time mourning, and didn’t want his bottomless cash eaten by professional morners from Western Kenya.
Was he a tribalist? Yes. Of the British race. Was he mean? Yes.
He is not known to have donated money for harambee.
But he for sure funds Raila Odinga’s Presidential campaigns since 2013.
RIP the Tsar of the British colony. You shall be missed
