Intrigues following the demise of Masinde Muliro

mzeiya

Elder Lister


Masinde Muliro was Vice Chairman of the Forum For Restoration Of Democracy (FORD), a party that many Kenyans believed stood a chance of ousting Moi from the presidency.

On the 14th of August that year, Muliro arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from London. Shortly after he had gone through the motions at Immigration, he collapsed and died.

Addressing a battery of journalists in the city centre six hours later, Muliro’s family physician Dr. Arthur Obel, who was flanked by senior police officers, disclosed that the politician had died of cardiac arrest.

Then the conspiracy theories started...

FORD Chair Oginga Odinga called for proper investigations into Muliro’s death, wondering who was behind the “hastily convened” press conference.This happened just about the same time as Dr. Obel angrily dismissed threats by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dental Council.

There was further public intrigue when it was reported that former powerful cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott was on the same flight as Muliro. But Biwott denied having anything to do with the death. The two had met at Heathrow Airport and exchanged pleasantries, before separately proceeding to board the plane. That was it, Biwott protested, adding that theirs was a “friendly chat”.

Meanwhile, Muliro’s wife said she was opposed to a post-mortem being carried out on her late husband’s body. Sections of the media reported that she did not want her husband’s body “cut”.

The late Masinde Muliro attended university in apartheid South Africa, enrolling at the University of Cape Town for a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History and Political Philosophy.

He then enrolled for a Masters degree in Political Science at the same university. He could have completed the degree if it wasn’t for the son of Kimilili attacking the white apartheid regime in his thesis.

I wonder if the treatment he got in South Africa is the reason why, on his return to Kenya with a native South African wife, Mercia (pictured), he, like most black South Africans, ditched his English names.

Before that, his full name was Henry Pius Masinde Muliro.

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I've put down my glass of champain with two ice cubes and studied above pictures for a glimpse of said wife, but shait!
😁 😁
Haha juu ya hiyo story, cheki maneno...
Mercia Muliro: The ‘Bukusu girl’ Masinde Muliro brought home from South Africa
City News
By Grace Wekesa | 5 years ago

Amp

Mercie Muliro

In 1954, Masinde Muliro came back home with a BA degree from the University of Cape Town and Mercia (pictured), a South African beauty who would later be described as a champion of education and strong-willed community development mobiliser.

Mercia quickly grasped the Bukusu culture, customs and traditions and became the pillar behind her politician husband.
Burudi Nabwera, former ambassador and Cabinet minister describes the late 92-year-old as a straightforward woman who spoke her mind, complimented her husband’s political career and ensured many youths were educated.

Nabwera vividly recalls how the deceased quickly adopted Luhya culture and could fluently communicate in all Luhya dialects: “A visitor would not easily recognise Mercia was a foreigner because of how she carried herself and spoke. I remember when we visited her family in Cherangany one time. Mercia was welcoming and knew how to treat elders and youth according to Luhya culture. She knew what to serve and when to serve,’’ recalls Nabwera.

Nominated MP and the Chair of Luhya Council of Elders Patrick Wangamati explained that Mercia was also a politician in her own right, having served as a councillor in Trans-Nzoia and Bungoma.

She helped youth in the two counties get an education and some went abroad to further their studies as a result of her generosity, he says.
Wangamati said the country has lost a great woman and called on leaders to honour the late and her husband by putting up a statue in Kitale to recognise their contribution to society.

Mercia, who passed on September 25, will be buried on October 10 at her Sibanga farm, Cherangany in Trans-Nzoia County, closing a chapter in the life of one of Kenya’s most respected and illustrious politicians.
 
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