92-year-old Ndwiga Kathamba Muruathika, also known as Ndume, revealed shocking details about his involvement in the assassination of Tom Mboya, a prominent Kenyan politician, in a shocking interview with Nation Media.
Ndwiga claims he was one of three Kanu youth wingers approached by an unidentified individual with a mission to kill Mboya. Bound by an oath of secrecy, Ndwiga hesitated to reveal much but shared that he doesn’t want to take his dark secrets to the grave.
Ndwiga, representing Embu, along with Nahashon Njenga from Kiambu and Gitonga Gathanju from Nyeri, were recruited for the plot in January 1969.
Ndwiga's task was to purchase three pistols on the black market near the Kenya-Somalia border. He says the guns were sourced from outside Kenya to avoid being traced back to the government. After buying the pistols, someone else smuggled them into Nairobi.
On July 5, 1969, the day of the assassination, the three were given their pistols and instructed to follow Mboya, who was in the city center for a meeting. However, Ndwiga claims his conscience urged him to back out. He strategically fell behind his accomplices and eventually left for his home in Embu.
Ndwiga's revelation sheds new light on the events leading to Mboya's assassination and also shows the internal struggles he faced during the plot.
His story, kept secret for 55 years, offers a glimpse into the dark history surrounding one of Kenya's most infamous political killings.