When we arrived at his home in Runyenjes, Embu County, 92-year-old Ndwiga Kathamba Muruathika, known affectionately as Ndume, had just awakened. In his twilight years, he is a witness to Kenya’s independence struggle and the administrations of five presidents.
After welcoming us, he briefly conferred with our fixer Moses Wamuru indoors. Meanwhile, outside, we prepared for the interview. Emerging shortly after, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, he was accompanied by his two sisters. He rearranged our setup unintentionally.
Ndwiga then revealed a startling revelation: he was part of a trio of Kanu youth leaders approached with a secretive mission to assassinate Cabinet Minister Tom Mboya. This directive led them to trail Mboya until his fatal shooting in Nairobi’s central business district on July 5, 1969.
Despite his advanced age, Ndwiga remains sharp in memory, though he selectively divulges and withholds information. He maintains that an oath of secrecy binds him, preventing full disclosure.
He discloses that he, Nahashon Njenga from Kiambu, and Gitonga Gathanju from Nyeri were enlisted in the plot six months prior to Mboya’s assassination. Njenga was later convicted and executed for the crime.
Ndwiga hints at high-ranking officials from Kiambu orchestrating the plot but refrains from naming names, citing the secrecy prevalent at the time, reminiscent of the clandestine operations during colonialism.
He recounts being sent to Bulgaria for paramilitary training, a detail known personally to Mboya, who was also Kanu’s Secretary General.
According to Ndwiga, funds were provided for the purchase of pistols via the Kenya-Somalia border, emphasizing precautions taken to avoid tracing them back to the Kenyan government.
He reflects on the complexity of such covert operations, involving multiple actors rather than a solitary planner.
On the day of the planned assassination, Ndwiga claims a sudden change of heart deterred him from carrying out the mission. He separated from his accomplices and returned home to Embu, avoiding involvement in the tragic events that followed.
Ndwiga’s account underscores the turbulent political climate of the time, where influential figures maneuvered to shape Kenya’s future leadership amid internal strife and external pressures. His story sheds light on a chapter of Kenya’s history often veiled in secrecy and speculation.
