From: People For Peace
Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News

BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Former defense minister Njenga Karume passed on this morning at 2.40 am at Karen Hospital at the age of 83 after a long battle with cancer. His death comes barely four days after the demise of another cabinet minister John Michuki who died on Tuesday this week.

;
According to Limuru MP Peter Mwathi, Kikuyu politicians who do not support Uhuru Kenyatta will all fall ill. He told former Cabinet minister Joseph Kamotho recently that he fell ill as he was about to address a meeting in Murang’a because he refused to support Uhuru.

While saying that Kamotho is one of those trying to divide the Kikuyu community vote, he said that Kamotho should draw a lesson from former Cabinet minister Njenga Karume who fell ill immediately he was installed a Kikuyu elder contrary to the traditions and against wishes of respected elders who had installed Uhuru as their “king”.

;
“You know we sometimes divert attention and develop deaf years not wanting to hear the truth. Uhuru is the man in Central and we shall not ‘sell’ him, he is already in the minds of many. So Kamotho should listen to their voices and dance to their song,” said Mwathi to a story appearing in the Star’s issue on Tuesday.

He added, “Recently, Karume failed to dance to Uhuru’s fame and took a step forward using his power to be installed as a leader of the Agikuyu. Shortly after, rumour had it that he fell ill. Does Kamotho want to fall ill just because of the people’s wish? He should back Uhuru.” Mwathi said Kamotho had been led astray by Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth and Gichugu MP Martha Karua both who have decided not to go by their constituents’ wish.

Mwathi was opposed to Njenga being installed GEMA elder. Founded in 1967, GEMA became one of the most powerful ethnic-based associations in Kenya. It managed GEMA Ltd. holdings with plans to own and operate many businesses not only in the country but also outside the country.

Karume who holds a diploma in business management is one of the wealthiest business men and an active figure in the GEMA association. He was also one of the Raila’s fortunes in Central Kenya 2012 strategy.

;
James Njenga Karume has been accused by his political enemies of being a consummate political conman, a professional turncoat, a professional conman driven purely by personal interests, a professional political hawker who has no principles and one in whom no serious politician should (ever) bank in, at all apart from Raila.

Since 1976 when Jomo Kenyatta was still the Kenyan president Karume joined number of other politicians including Kihika Kimani and Paul Ngei forming the “Change the Constitution Movement” attempting to change the Constitution of Kenya.

The idea of course, was to bar then Vice-president Daniel arap Moi to inherit the presidency upon Kenyatta’s death. This was to prevent a non-Kikuyu president. And his recent change of heart to back Raila (non-Kikuyu) for presidency can explain why his Kikuyu political enemies call him political conman.

The movement to change the constitution did not last long because it was curtailed by former Attorney-General Charles Njonjo who is also in Raila’s 2012 strategy for presidency, himself also with presidential ambitions by then, charged Karume and other leader of the movement with treason, as “they had imagined the death of the sitting president”, which was forbidden by the Penal Code. President Kenyatta dropped the charges, but at the same time silenced the movement.

His political career began between 1974 and 1979 when he served as nominated MP before being elected Kiamba MP in 1979. He was re-elected in 1983 and 1988 respectively.

Karume can be named the father of multi-party system in Kenya since he was the one at the National Delegates Conference in Kasarani in mid-1991 who moved a motion to repeal Section 2A of the Kenyan Constitution for the system. President Moi had no options but to accept the motion.

This was one way to remove Moi from power. Karume believed that it was only through political parties that Moi could be out of power. Karume was reluctant to join the leading opposition force Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD), not only because of foreseeing its split but because he wanted to form Democratic Party (DP) with Mwai Kibaki John Keen on December 31, 1991.

Although at the 1992 elections Karume lost his seat on DP ticket to Kanu Icharia of Ford-Asili because his presidential candidate Kenneth Matiba enjoyed higher popularity in his constituency, he regained the parliamentary seat at the 1997 elections standing again on DP ticket, even though for the 2002 Election he won the seat again, but now on KANU ticket.

Karume was appointed the Minister of Defence in December 2006. His politic ended with the 2007 election when he represented the PNU coalition led by President Kibaki. He lost the seat to Stanley Murage Githunguri of KANU, who is also in Raila’s strategic plan for presidency.

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE-AMEN

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya

Tel +254-7350-14559/+254-722-623-578
E-mail- ppa@africaonline.co.ke
omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org