KAMALOBA

MY RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ON KAMALOBA
By Mwalimu Wangila Mukhwana
Australia, July 30, 2004.

Baana befwe, Mulembe mwesi mwesi buli niho muli
nga bemu Lumboka.

Naaye sima lukali po khukoosi niko
mulabolanilanga. Mwikumia murio mala mutinyilisie babandi.
Mukhakelaho mwaba nga “Bungoma Professionals” tawe.
Yaba bamenyeela mu khwifumia busa.

Kalolelekha enywe (Bemu Lumboka) mulikho lukano.
Khwinye wamanyakho liosiliosi, akhayole
ne ekesiangakho babasie be Tolondo ye Lumboka.
Kamuchuli somanya ta, busia buri balala khwifwe
khwalotile nihe Babefwe bachia.

Niko kakila nemubolelakho niko ese khebulila.
Nekakandi kaindiba. Khulwako malala ngamaanyiila
khwinywe sikila mukila nemukhebusia. So please,
allow me to pay glowing tribute to some of you
particularly Babalimu befwe Fulbert Namwamba, wo
Mukananachi Kukubo Barasa, Wafula Okumu, nende
Wandabwa, Ben, John Wafula, Mitati Kinisu, papa
Henry Soita, yaya Edith Musukuya, Jane Namusia,
Sara, Eve Wamalwa, nomusakhulu simakulu we
Bakananachi, wandayase Zephaneah Wekesa.

All of you have stimulated our minds in different
ways. Consequently, I share the following with
the entire Lumboka membership from the best of my
recollection and knowledge. I have stated same
related matters in the past with academic
colleagues such as Babanyange namukhalaki
Omukwangwa Chris Wanjala Lukorito, Omukolati
Vincent Simiyu Sudi, and Omumaina Samwel Makinda.
Except, nemusiima ndugu, I humbly decline
the suggestion or proposal that I chair the
committee on our “Bukusu History.”

Those you mentioned for inclusion in the committee
(including Profs. Vincent Barasa Khapoya – Oakland,
MI, and Simeon Waliaula Chilungu – Buffalo, NY)
are the very people I had told you to contact
for the purpose unless you did not read my initial
communication with members. It is not my discipline.
I am business management trained. But I admitted
that I am a politics practitioner. That is what
I have been known for since my early G.A.S
Kakamega School days.

Mwakhanywa kwete, enguli, endali, namwe tusker
mala mwekura Banabefwe, mukhebilila KAMALOBA
KE BAKUKA Babukusu naitiriani nga bapanila
bali nyanga Chinjibuulo chie munyanga chichiayo
bakhapa sibi tawe. Therefore, I was very
disappointed to read one of our members saying
that “Kamaloba ke Babukusu kakamila busa khu
Kamukuywa.

Nakorwa aba naye kakhulila wahe? Another one
asked “Baluhya sina babakula kimikunda (kamaloba)
kie Babukusu?” Nebasia, lundi nauka ndi,
aba oyo naye amanyiile “Musyamba kuu?” All
this was in response to Zeph Wekesa’s valid
and indisputable comments. Then recently, I was
touched by the story about Noah Wekesa’s
farm and how our people used to wait for
“Posho mu Bibaa on Mondays and Wednesday.”
Very true.

Our people went through that throughout 1900 to
1961. Senge wange olonda papa mukha Muswasula,
yaba bamenya bario khu Zewa Estates when my
father took me there in 1947 for the first time.

Kamasika kalengalenga mumoni change as I read
that piece of history indicative of our people’s
long journey in social and economic development,
leaving the political one aside. Niko Omubuya
Zeph Wekesa amubolela khu Baluhya kali kario,
Baana ba Wele, enda ya Mubukusu.

Basakhulu naitiriani takha basiule sichangi
khu luchi lwa Kuywa mala basiile musilo bakhomekhe
lundi khu luchi lwa Kamukuywa, oli Banapere
becha babareba bali khwara ano Sichangi.
Nenabo bali ta, mwatimile, enywe fwana mwara
Sichangi esyo khu luchi lwe Kamukuywa.
Khe mukhake khukhebulila bulayi. Banepere
bafukilila bela khulola Kamukuywa.
Ngabababolele pebe, basinyola.

Nono takha bakhole bukesi , namwe bubunwasi
obwo, andi Kamaloba kefwe katiba kamakali.
Ne chikholo chilichana especially Basonge
ne Barefu, basakhulu babwe Bakhulu be Bitukhu
nibo bareeba babiala Chitiangi niho basiula
khu Kuywa nende niho basimikha khu Kamukuywa.

These elders did this so you and I, and our
children could have vast land. In that struggle,
Babukusu bakhalabananga bario halala nende
Batachoni, Bakabrasi, nende Banyala.

Prior to this incident, our people were still
well settled in right into present Markwet –
Pokot (Ebusuku ne Kachiliba). That is why we
still have our Bukusu people there to this day.
We have common names such as Sudi, Namihinda,
Nang’ole, Kibirenge, etc. Banandi ne Basuku have
often fought battles and co-existed. Each group
has held captives especially women and children
plus cattle from the other.

If you scrutinise both sides you will find
“mbo babandu bafwananakho lukondo.” Our people
learned certain things from these warring
neighbours and rivals for the scarce land.
For example, khukhala chinjika che chikhafu,
Babukusu nende Baluhya bamia kumwima okwo
khu Basuku ne Banandi, whom we collectively
refer to as “Barwa.” Naboo bakhupaka efwe bali
“Kitosh” meaning simply “our enemies.”
Ne balanga Babesukha ne Babedakho whom they
fought the other side, “Chikakamega” meaning
“whose houses we have burned.. Nenabo chikhafu
chabwe chimali tii, bachamia khu Babukusu ne
Baluhya in general. Otherwise, they did not
have black cattle at all.

Khulwako babandu befwe babamenya “Musyamba”,
used to say “njiakho e-kitosi (namwe mbo mu
risafu).” So, please, any Mluhya in Trans Nzoia
from Peter Shiyuka, Pius Gumo, Priscila Abwao,
Martin Shikuku, Maleches, etc including
Bajaluo ne Basebe baliyo, bakhoyele ne
bafumianga Wele we Mwikulu na Aasi, nekhusima
Bababukusu halala nomu Naitiriani wabwe
Omusakhulu omukoosi watiba Masinde Muliro.

Yet they hardly do, or reflect on it, as
owefwe Zeph Wekesa correctly pointed out
previously. Naaye from my underatanding of
the situation, khu bandu befwe benabo, Baragoli
baliyo (mu Trans Nzoia), are the worst thankless
towards our people – Bakabalasi, Banyala,
Batachoni ne Babukusu). Basikhukhoma mbo
efwe Bamusambwa kaba mbo mukhamanya tawe.

Reba be libukana liefwe lie Basaale
(Friends or Quakers) mubone. In February 2004,
a delegation of Friends Church members
from Trans Nzoia, Bungoma and areas of
Bunyala, and Kabras were to depart for New
Zealand and attend the World Friends Conference.
They were left behind in Nairobi by the
Executive. Through their own initiatives,
they managed to depart for New Zealand and
arrived three weeks late. Baragoli Basaale
(Friends) babakholela kamenaako, chisoni
chiabahamba. Ne Baragoli boosi, sebali babi
tawe. Balala balayi paka.

For instance, Omusakhulu Solomon Adagala
ayeta babandu befwe lukali elalabusa. When he
was North Nyanza and later on Elgon Nyanza
District Education Officer, he upgraded many
primary schools in our area for Kenya Government
funding. Any discarded teacher or interdicted
ones in Kakamega district, he hired them to
teach in Bukusu where we experienced a critical
shortage of trained teachers during the 1950’s
and 1960’s.

He established many D.E.B Schools. Our Bungoma
Secondary School came from this humble
beginnings. Arising from his good efforts in
helping our people, Omusakhulu Chief Henry Kerre
Sudi gave him 30 acres of land free of charge in
appreciation. But Solomon Adagala never wanted to
settle in Bukusu. A fact he regretted many years
after. He told me about it in 1973. Then much later,
his older children who had grown up in Bungoma,
e.g. Bakoki Ngaywa, Bilha and Ebby Adagala
bemoaned the fact that their dad had not
grabbed that opportunity in the 1950’s.

Another good Omulogoli, amongst several, is
omusakhulu Peter Kibisu. He was very supportive
of Muliro in politics without wavering right
to the end. For instance, Muliro told a few
of us visitors in the Members Lounge of
Parliament before they voted on “J.M. Kariuki
Committee’s Report.” He said, “Basoreri, embuko
elumila khufwa” as he walked with Kibisu into
the chamber, and Kibisu added in Lulogoli
gesturing “Mnya, niho omusakhulu afwila, niho
sesi fwila.”

I will never forget that moment as I climbed
upstairs to take my seat in the Speaker’s
gallery. Muliro as Cabinet Minister and Kibisu
as Assistant Minister voted for acceptance
of the report against the wish of their
colleagues and President Kenyatta’s directive
to respect parliamentary custom of collective
responsibility. After the vote, Jomo Kenyatta
sacked both of them immediately. That same
evening, Muliro was asked to vacate his
government rented accommodation of Opembe’s house in
Hurlingham.

On hearing this the following day, I offered
Muliro my University accommodation at Golf
Course as a temporary immediate measure. Three
days later, he declined the offer when Opembe,
as land lord, refused to go along with the
government directive that Muliro vacates the
house for a cabinet replacement. Masinde Muliro
explained his conscious vote to me as we both
sat before a fire in my house keeping ourselves
warm.

He explained with emotions, and said, “Ese
ndoba khupa ekura ndio ta, andi bwang’aali
sebulimanyikha tawe. Nelundi, Wasike, ne
bemukometi yewe aba Omukikwameti achia
khubanania, abulala ababowe.” I still recall
vividly how relieved he was that he and Kibisu
had voted that way to save the members of
the committee and enable Kenyans, at large,
to know the truth surrounding Josiah Mwangi
Kariuki’s death.

Some of you had said that “we should bring out
the truth (both positive and negative
information to educate our people.” I have stated
what I know so as to share this with you
Bemu Lumboka.

Again, in 1920’s and 1930’s, many of our people
Babukusu and Basebeyi) were driven out of present
Trans Nzoia. One batch of many Bukusus camped
in the meadow of Sosio, had it not been for Sudi
Namachanja who insisted that because they knew
nobody and had nowhere to go, they should be
returned to their lands. But Namutala Mayeku said
that they should seek out relatives and settle
with them.

Sudi’s opinion prevailed and the Colonialists
returned our people back conditionally. They were
to agree to live on these farms as squatters.
Not owners of the land any more. The other batch
comprising Babukusu and Basebeyi were taken to
camps in Yembe and Bukwa (the land quite beyond
of present Endebess). The present Endebess and
Kwanza areas were heavily settled by “Basebeyi,
Balagu and Babukusu.” So omusakhulu Rais Daniel
arap Moi ne kaboola ali bakalukhe, (if you recall
he announced publicly that their descendants be
returned), there was an outcry from our
parliamentary leaders e.g. George Welime Kapten
and Michael Simiyu Wamalwa.

They felt that President Moi was giving away
the Bukusu land to Kalenjins. Therefore, it was
unfair. I assure you they were wrong. Babandu
abo, Banabefwe, nga Bakoloni babatimania sikila
benya babukule kamaloba kabwe kali “very fertile”,
liakila babandu abo bamenya busa bario eyo
nabwila Uhuru bwola mu Kenya. Then Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta and his government could not decide to
have them back for fear of where to settle them
since their land had been taken over by the White
settlers. And they were many.

Prime Minister Milton Obote, before becoming
President of Uganda, got tired of reminding Kenya
to have their people whom he administered from
Mbale, the headquarters of Bugisu district..He
created Sebei district for them. In turn, their
political activists like Chemongess of Bukwa,
teamed up with Balagu to demand reunification
with their kind living in Elgon location. This
idea never materialised.

Both Kenya and Uganda governments felt
uncomfortable with it. In early 1920’s, both
Protestant and Catholic missionaries trained
young men to recruit converts. These lay-preachers
were sent out to establish mission stations
or churches across Bukusu and Buluhya land.
The selected people were helped in acquiring
land free of charge so they could settle on it
with their families. For instance, Canon Jeremiah
Awori established Nambale Anglican Church,
Pascal Nabwana left Khachonge to establish
Kimilili and Misikhu Catholic churches, Daniel
Amudavi from Maragoli, was sent to Espala from
where Ford sent him to establish Kimilili Friends.
Baliuli bewa Temba, adopted him.

Then Augustine Meka who had been adopted as a
teenager by Peter Wanyama of Lugulu was sent to
establish Chesamisi Friends Church, Jonah
Neyole was sent from Kamusinde to establish
Maeni Friends Church, and Naphtael Walumbe was sent
from Kibingei to Suku (the present Pokot) for
the same purpose.

Bukusu people had already settled in many numbers
in Poko-Markwet areas before European explorers
traversed that part of modern Kenya. In fact the
latter’s eldest son, Basakwa Samwel Simiyu, the
Electoral Commissioner, is fluent in Lusuku as
he is in Lubukusu. Balebee, nenya mumanye mbo
kamaloba kefwe stretched far and beyond.

That is why you still see babukusu bakali e Suku ne nabo
bosi basikenihanga ne Balebee nibo balekha engo Emakunda.
Mulikhebana mubonanga busa babana bapa chinyimba bali
bachia khulanga Musyamaba ne Suku.

Niko kakila Omujumbe Kirwa nali ne kumulembe
nende babandu befwe Cherengen.

There were not any tribal clashes in 1992 in
the area including Pokot-Marakwet between Barwa
and Babukusu ne Baluhya.

Khwatibia Kitale at the time of independence
khubeela lack of Muliro’s strong but persistent
lobby. And partly because Basungu and some
Baluhya political activists did not want Muliro
glorified by its inclusion in Western Province.
Khwa Makinia omwene akanianga Basakhulu ne
Bajumbe basie bewefwe ali “Mukhayila
delegations tawe, ese namalile kamakhuwa nabo.”

I still recall this.

Our elders believed him and relied on his word.
But towards the end the entire community lost
out. When the boundaries of new provinces were
announced and our people discovered that Kitale
(Trans Nzoia) was not included in Western
Province, it really hurt Muliro and Bukusu people
of all ages.

So he left his small farm in Saboti and bought
a bigger farm in Cherangan which had been
owned by Queen Elizabeth’s cousin or nephew.
She even stayed in that house during her visi
to Kenya as Princess Elzabeth. He moved political
base there, too. He contested the seat
successfully and lost it, next round of election.

Why? You might want to know.

Very simple, Baana befwe. We, the Bukusu
activists around him, at the time, devised a
plan to have our people in Suku Kitale West
register in Cherengany to counter the lobby
of Baluhyas who had ganged with Barwa to
vote against Masinde Muliro en-mass. This plan
was leaked to the Government of the day.
Consequently, our people were prevented to
cross-register for voting purposes.

Oli Muliro akwile chikura ario, Baluhya chana
barakikha khukhoma bali lola, “Babukusu
basiilu, obalaka khukhwipotia mbo Kitale yefwe,
wapi!”

Politics do change indeed.

Nenembona munyanga chaluno, namwe oli soma mu
Internet mbo basakhulu Baluhya balalakho chana
engeyo bachiile khukambila Musikari Kombo, Chairman
wa Ford Kenya, mala oli Omubukusu, mbuka busa,
sikila during Muliro’s life, nibo yaba bakhulanga
buli sise bali “Abamasiaba.”

Bananywe, sendi bilila niko J.D. Otiende ne
Burudi Nabwera bakholelanga babefwe tawe.
Murebanga Wafula Khaoya, Munoko nende Mark Barasa
ke nyiinga-echio. Ata bakila bonaka nebusaale
bwabao akari wa Wafula Wabuge ne Masinde Muliro.
That is how some of them lobbied for the creation
of Tachoni District that is now Lugari District.

One of you in our Lumboka exchanges talked about
“Lirango lie Njofu.” Truly, I tell you,
these people really hated that saying in reference
to Muliro by our people. Ese omubolela oyu.
If you have heard that, at the time, “Peter
Sifuma Namisi” annoyed our people and drew their
wrath towards Batachoni when he stated that
“Babandu babandi becha ne kumukhula.”

That was it.

Bataayi befwe baloma bali “wakania kebilila,
ne wakaswala naaye khaba tawe.”
Bachuma ne Bibingilo bimulondakho,
Mukhebulilenge murio.

Mwararire lukali khu Baluhya nibo omusakhulu
Muliro kayeta. Kayeta Baluhya swa, nefwe
fwabene mundu khaba khukhuyetakho, hela ta.
Baliho batiti busa nibo ayeta mubefwe nga
namubolela mataayi. Kaba ne kumwoyo ali nayeta
Baluhya aba baliba nebusime khu Babukusu.
Khaane yaba abamwata emabohu nabo “Bakhupiila efwe akonde.”

Pius Gumo oyo mulalakho khunibo kayeta. Kamurusia
mu Elgon Hotel in Nairobi which he managed.
This hotel was a beehive of Baluhya politics
in the 1950’s to 1960’s. It was where the brass and
elites of Buluhya sub-tribes socialised and
caucused under the “Baluhya Welfare Society”
and the “Baluhya Political Union.”

We mounted the campaign to support Nathan
Fedha for the position of Town Clerk of Kitale
County Council from this hotel and Muliro endorsed
it. Nga Baluhya baba bachumi bakali mu Nairobi,
they were able to respond to Muliro’s call
urging them ali “Chia mukule kimukunda.”

Babukusu befwe munyanga echo sebaba basiro
mubuchumi abwenaho tawe, lundi baba bakekhe.
Then another mistake, Omusakhulu khwa Makinia,
omwene naaye akosa, khubolelanga babefwe ario
tawe.

In 1965, our association, the “Bukusu Brotherhood
East Africa” of which I was their General
Secretary, had a conference in Bungoma. Mulala khu
balomalomii, kaba papa Omukananachi Senior Chief Jonathan Barasa.
In his address, he bemoaned that fact. The delegates who
had come from various towns
in Kenya and Uganda, resolved to take up the
matter with Muliro. It was when omusakhulu yuno
nenase nekhwamanyana in person because we had
exchanged letters only on Bukusu matters.

Despite this, he had been aware that his
older children – Wycliffe Wasilwa, Alice
Namachanja, and Richard Wanambisi including
his nephews Robert Wanambisi and Mang’eni
Kukubo were my acquaintances. He liked my speech,
too, and implored me to face up to Muliro on
these issues of concern to Bukusus.

I did so no avail, after I returned to Nairobi.

HENRY MASINDE MULIRO NE WILLIAM WAMALWA NGEYWA BALOMANANGA,
AKHABA NE BAJUMBE BEFWE BABANDI.

Kali ng’aali, Bakinyikeu Masinde Muliro ne
William Wamalwa balomanaga, ne bakendanila.
Bakhamubehaa mbo yaba bapana sikhonde namwe mbo
sebalia alala tawe. Akhaba Nathan Munoko nende
Masinde Muliro ne Joseph Wafula Khaoya, balomanaga
mu Nairobi sya Bunge, nebakachula nga Babukusu basalwa..
Sebabakho ne sikhonde ta, elio ngania baana
Babukusu.

Omundu akhabainga lilienelio ta. Ne Masinde
nende Wamalwa balomanilanga khu Lwakha lwe Bulime.
Muliro lundi elochanga ali kamalilo ke babandu
befwe be Trans Nzoia (Kitale) andi kamuchilanga
khuniye nganilwo kabechanga Waziri mu serekali ne
Wamalwa ta. Wamalwa naaye ali ese sesi ndi
Omujumbe wa Kitale. Babandu ne banjekesie
kabamina aba bubi sina? Munoko yesi elilaanga
ali sekali bali Muliro yeng’ene okhoyeele nasoola
babandu befwe ta. A stand I agreed with and
embraced whole heartedly.

So did our Bukusu Brotherhood executive members
such as Zablon Maruti Mola (President), George
Macheso, etc. Except Joseph Makhanu (
Organising Secretary) strongly felt that other
MPs should use Muliro as the only conduit by virtue of him
being a Minister.

Actually, from my observation as a Bukusu man
in Nairobi who presented our people’s problems
to our MPs all the time upon request, I found
each claim valid with a little difference. Mbona
busa mbo omusakhulu Muliro just wanted to shine
alone all the time.

This led Wamalwa to tell us (Babukusu be Nairobi
as a delegation ye khubahambasia) “Niiye ali
Bakoki busa khumuria khurie.” Joseph Wafula Khaoya
naaye babirananga ne Muliro partly along the
old political lines cha KANU (as Wafula Khaoya had
been a KANU supporter from the beginning), and
KADU (of which Muliro and John Marie Seroney
had been the architects). Nga bakhulu bakeleka
bali, Eeningilo ya tekha Namaka, sewechangamo
Bululu tawe”, Khane balebe, bapaa abwene.

Kabechanga busa kario.

Ne Wafula Wabuge baba basaale ne Muliro paka
khu khwama nga basoma bombi Tororo Secondary
College. During KADU, Muliro plucked him from
Kenya Farmers Association in Nakuru. He
eventually became the President of Western
Regional Assembly. Amongst KADU members in
Coast Province, Wafula Wabuge was just known
as Muliro’s young brother. Both were supposedly
the sons of Mulama, Nabongo Mumia’s brother.

But the politics of Tachoni and regrouping
as championed by Peter Sifuma and Burudi Nabwera
led to disagreement with Muliro. Then Daniel
arap Moi clawed Wabuge into his fold and later
made him Kenyan High Commissioner in Kampala.

It was at this time that many of our Bukusu
people realised that Wafula was not Omubukusu
save Omutachoni after all. Wafula Wabuge spoke
Lubukusu at all times even to his Tachoni
fellows. A very clever disguise that worked for
him.

I was introduced to Wafula Wabuge early in
1961 in the KADU office, Jeevanje Street, Nairobi
by bakoki Omukitang’a Richard Watila Wetosi
now a resident of Nalondo Location. . He had been
acquainted with Wafula Wabuge in Nairobi
during my School days at Kakamega.

As bickering continued amongst our
parliamentarians, Wafula Khaoya had to say “Po,
kha Muliro akaame Kitale”. A line of thought
that Omukikwameti Phillip Mwangale had been
pushing for sometime (within the family).

It eventually culminated in soured relations
between his son, Elijah Wasike Mwangale MP for
Bungoma East constituency, and Masinde Muliro
MP for Kitale East, later known as Cherengen.

By this time, the three MPs: Munoko, Wabuge and
Khaoya had amicable relations between them.
They wooed Mwangale into their camp. Muliro
was increasingly isolated, but his tremendous
and unflinching grass-root support within the
people from Bungoma to Trans Nzoia still
left him the undisputable “Lirango lie Njofu.”

Elijah Mwangale who had been known to lie to
many people in the same style, bragged that
it was his money that got him elected at every
general election in Kimilili. He stated
loudly that Muliro should confine his politics
in Kitale (Trans Nzoia). Furthermore, he even
dared him (Muliro) to contest against him in
Bungoma East, these days called (Kimilili).

Muliro took up the challenge and started
renovating his house at Matili farm in
readiness “to teach Wasike a lesson, sikila
omwana wa Mwangale akholele e mbelekeu.”
When it became known to elders across Bukusu
land that Muliro was preparing to run against
Mwangale because of what he had declared
believing that nobody would ever defeat him,
they condemned bakoki Elijah Wasike Mwangale
left, right and centre.

In turn, the elders pleaded with Muliro not
to come back and contest.“ Just show us a
competent person you wish to support to contest
against Elijah,” they begged Muliro. From
that time onwards, Mwangale’s popularity
plummeted, and there was no rescue in sight.
My interpretation of what was unfolding, it
was sheer family gossip and sweetened by
rumour mongering among the families in Matili that
led being socialised into a Bukusu issue.

Elijah Wasike Mwangale should not have been
dumped regardless of what he did, his terrible
lying and a tendency for corruption.

Then William Wamalwa died. Some people felt that
his eldest son should run. Muliro welcomed
the opportunity amend the rift that had existed
between them. To demonstrate this, he
barracted for Michael Kijana Wamalwa and
urged him to stand or contest. He told the
Saboti electorate that it was the deceased’s son
who should inherit the seat. I was amongst
the few people to whom Omusakhulu Muliro
explained his rationale why he was
supporting and campaigning for Michael.

He said, “Rarawe khwalomananga nga bemenywa.
Ne akhaba babandu befwe ne bamuloma bali kaba
Chifu omubi, naremakaka kamaindi ke babandu,
ese senyala naloba khuhunga mukono omwana wewe
tawe.” He stressed this repeatedly to me in his
house in Nairobi each time we talked about the
race and candidates that included Wafula Wabuge.

It was simply on this ground alone that
Masinde Muliro threw his full weight behind
Michael Simiyu Wamalwa all the way. Not that
because Michael was an eloquent person in
English language due to elocution training
he had taken while attending Cambridge
University in England. At this time, Kijana
Wamalwa had moved close towards Moi camp
and was,at times, rumoured to claim that
his ancestry was Kalenjin merely on the
basis of his grandfather’s name “Ngeywa.”

The claim was malicious and baseless.
It was just because Michael was, for a short
period, getting on well with Moi at the
time the opportunity for politics presented
itself. Therefore, Muliro wanted to outfox
Moi in the support for the parliamentary race,
lest President Moi throw the regime machinery
behind Mike. By the same token also, Mike
got into politics accidentally and out of
misfortune. He had been a lecturer in
International Law at University of Nairobi.

Towards the end of the academic year, he lost
examination scripts in Starlight Night Club.
He had gone there for relaxation to cool
off after the pressure of marking, like all
of us do at any tertiary institution anywhere
in the world, when trying to meet the dead
lines. During the UON investigation into the
circumstances that led to the Law exam scripts
getting lost and some being found in the
Starlight, Kijana flew to London to meet with a friend.

Unfortunately Dr. Joseph Karanja, the
Vice – Chancellor at the time, met Mike on
the street in London. He told Mike that he
could not remember signing for his leave –
papers, and wondered why Kijana was in London.
Upon return to Nairobi, he was summarily fired.
His marriage to Dr. Njoroge Mungai’s daughter,
Muthoni, did not work out from the start.
Njoroge had bluntly refused to give away his
daughter had it not been for the late Mzee
James Gichuru, former Minister of Defence.

Mzee James Gichuru, also made it possible
that the late Mzee Senator William Wamalwa
could be allowed to speak at the wedding
reception in Ngong. Not only that, even
Udi Gechaga had been pressured not to be the
best man at the wedding of his friend since
their Strathmore School days. Moreover, it
was commonly rumoured that Mungai had made
it difficult for Michael to secure
employment in Kenya nor to leave the
country.

Njoroge was our Minister of Foreign Affairs
at that time. I recall these events because
I attended the wedding and was on speaking
terms with Wamalwa Senior though not a close
friend to Mike. This eventuated in later years.

At the wedding reception, Gichuru gave a
moving speech that touched the audience.
“He called on tribes in Kenya to tolerate
and understand one another and allow their
children to intermarry as a way of
building a strong Kenyan nation in future.”

People like Paul Nakitare could voucher
for this as we traveled together to attend
the wedding. The wedding had been presided
over properly at the University of Nairobi
chapel regardless of what was written or
Lumboka members read in the local newspapers
prior to his fairy tale sort of wedding to
Yvonne.

So inheriting his father’s seat was a
blessing in disguise, and a precedent
in making for Masinde Muliro when his
time came, in my view. Sadly, Mukasa Mwambu,
the eldest son, as some of our people
speculated, did not inherit Muliro’s seat.

Regarding Wamalwa senior buying the farm
with minority shareholders whom he
swindled, I can state this. The guys and
others were taken advantage of due to
their weakness as members in our society.
Perhaps some of them were without relatives
with the clout or influence. Admittedly, some
of these fellows were settled elsewhere long
before mzee William died.

Again, Mike inherited the father’s problem
that had been well known by our people
in Trans Nzoia. Today, the young Wamalwa
brothers like Eugene, etc have that problem
on their hands. It might not go away and
it is unfair and unjust.


Copyright © 2004 Lumboka, All rights reserved.

posted by The LUMBOKA Star @ Sunday, December 19, 2004