Fifty-five years after the assassination of Cabinet minister Tom Mboya, new revelations have emerged, raising fresh questions about the motive and involvement of powerful figures in his murder.
Isaac Nahashon Njenga Njoroge, who was convicted for the assassination, has long been considered the only direct link to the crime. However, recent investigations have shed light on the high-profile killing that shook President Jomo Kenyatta's government and impacted the country's political landscape for years to come.
Nation investigations reporter Duncan Khaemba has spent the last eight months delving into the details of Mboya's death, piecing together the puzzle of a murder that has remained unresolved for over half a century.
During his investigation, Khaemba uncovered new information, including an interview with Ndwiga Muruathika, a man who claims to have been one of the hitmen involved in the murder plot. Muruathika, now 92 years old, revealed that there were three hitmen, including the man who was ultimately convicted for the crime.
On the day of the assassination, Mboya had been driven from his home to his office at the Treasury building in Nairobi. He made a stop at Panafric Hotel for breakfast before heading to Chani Chemist on Moi Avenue, where he was shot.
According to Muturi Kigano, a former Kangema MP, Mboya's phone call to the chemist may have been tapped, indicating that the Special Branch, which had the technology to tap wire telephones, could have been involved.
At the time, he was a prominent figure within the ruling party, Kanu, and had been involved in a power struggle over President Kenyatta's succession. Mboya's nemesis, Jaramogi Oginda Odinga, had already left the government, and Mboya's influence posed a threat to other powerful figures within Kanu.
The "Kiambu Mafia," a group including Attorney General Charles Njonjo and Minister of State Mbiyu Koinange, was determined to retain power and may have played a role in Mboya's murder.
Despite the conviction of Njenga Njoroge, questions remain about the true mastermind behind the assassination. Who was the "big man" that Njenga referred to? And who wanted the charismatic minister dead? These questions continue to haunt the investigation, leaving the case unresolved even after 55 years.
https://nation.africa/kenya/news/new-revelations-raise-fresh-questions-about-tom-mboya-s-killing-55-years-on-4681516#story