Assassination as defined by the Oxford dictionary means to terminate one’s life or murder of a person mostly a public figure or politician which is mostly done secretly by hired hutment in a quest to eliminate an opponent in a political battle. Since independence Kenya has experienced a number of political assassinations over the 51 years but it has never confirmed to establish the alleged assassins. The following are the heroes who lost their lives in what they thought were the fight for Kenyan rights:
PIO GAMA PINTO 1965
He was the Member of Parliament for Parklands constituency currently called Westlands in Nairobi. He was one of the key politicians in the new Independent Kenya he used his journalism career to fight for independence by drafting the newsletter ‘sauti ya Kanu’ , he later earned appointments in the government like special electorate representative in 1964. He was killed in 1965 after he was shot at while driving with his daughter, despite Mutua serving a 35 year jail term he still pleaded innocent upon release and asked for investigations with rumous surrounding the death of Pinto pointing on The Kiambu Mafia as the crime perpetrators’.
THOMAS JOSEPH MBOYA 1969
He was a famous luo politician from Nyanza who represented Nairobi region both in the colonial and post colonial era. He was gunned down in July 1965 by unknown people and despite Mr. Nahashon Njenga having been found guilty and hanged the public has declined to give in accusing the then Kenyatta Government to have had a hand in this together with the kiambu Mafia. Mboya contributed to the fight against the colonial rule and also engaged in national policy development being a strong believer of capitalism but it was his budding career as a politician that is said to have led to his demise as her was first gaining international recognition hence was seen as a future political threat to the presidency.
JOSIAH MWANGI KARIUKI 1975
He was representative of the Nyandarua electorate up to 1975 when he was found dead in 1975. Popularly known as J.M. Kariuki among Kenyans he was remembered for his political critics of the government condemning the acts of land grabbing and consolidation of power among few individuals leading to his quote ‘ Kenya is a country of 10 millionaires vs. 10 million kenyans’
JOHN ROBERT OUKO 1990
He was a representative of kisumu town constituency at the time of his death and a member of KANU, he was discovered dead by a heardsboy Shikuku at the hills of Got Alila after having disappeared from his house in late February upon his return from Washington DC where he had represented the government as Minister for Foreign Affairs under the Moi regime prompting investigations about his death to be linked with the office he served though the truth is yet to be known. He had an undergraduate degree in public administration and economics , a diploma in international relations and diplomacy and was doing a Thesis for his masters at his time of death.
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