An historical feature By Leo Odera Omolo Omolo

CONTRARY to the belief by many Luos that our founding President Jomo Kenyatta was always nursing a deeply rooted hate for the members of the Luo community, the late Kenyatta was at peace with the Luos like he was with any other Kenyan communities.

In fact Kenyatta was very much fond of Luo talents and their administrative prowess. He always talked good about several academic giants of the community who had excelled in their academics fields and professionals. In order to justify this claim Kenyatta secretly ordered the release of the jailed former Permanent Secretary – – to be released prematurely before he completed his four years prison terms, and instructed him to stay out of sight of the public and to stay at his rural home not to appear anywhere in public until after the remaining period of his prison term were over.

Aloys Philip Achieng’ was the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries when he was accused of stealing from the public, convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment. Achieng’ had taken out of his Ministry some money in the form of impress. The cash money was around kshs 70,000..

During his trial Achieng’s defense lawyer had produced documentation before the court showing that Achieng’ had already surrendered the impress money back to the Ministry. But the prosecution and the trial magistrate would not hear of this. They went on and convicted Achieng’ and consigned him to a four year prison terms.

What later transpired was that Achieng’ who was a confidant of the late Tom Mboya was the victim of a vicious circles comprising of anti-Mboya elements within the government. Mboya had died in the hails of bullets fired by an assassin in a Nairobi street on JULY 5, 1969 and his enemies were hell-bent to ensure that all his influence within and outside the government were routed completely.

After serving his prison terms for about one and half year, the information which filtered out of the Kamiti Maximum security prison was that Achieng’ was seriously down with a combined diabetic and high blood pressure and wad gradually loosing his eye sight..

When the information about Achieng’s poor state of health in prison reached South Nyanza district, a group of his friends hurriedly convened an emergency meting to find the best way possible how they could lend him a helping hand.

Most of those who attended the meeting were senior Chiefs, civic leaders relatives and top businessmen. Members of this elites were people who were personally known to President Jomo Kenyatta some of them at persona level. The group quickly resolved to draft a petition letter to president Kenyatta requesting for his personal intervention in Achieng’s case and to see to it that he was provided with a good medical doctor.

Members of this hastily organized group included Senior chief DAMIAJNUS ajwang’ {Gembe|}, senior Chief Samuel Odoyo {Kanyaea} Senior Chief Zephania Malit {Karachuonyo}, Civic leaders were councilor Wilson Lando {Ndhiwa}, Counc. George Joseph Bonga {Karachuonyo}also in attendance wete two prominent businessmen in the region, Rakwach Ochila {Lambwe} and Mzee Alfred Ogwago Opiyo {Karachuonyo}

A letter petitioning Kenyatta wad drafted and the Rift Valley P.C Isaiyah Mathenge who had served in South Nyanza as a D.C was chosen as the potential conduit for the purpose of delivery of this petition to President Kenyatta while this writer was appointed an emissary who was to deliver the letter to Mathenge at his Nakuru P.C.’s Office..

On the very day this letter was delivered to Mathenge who in turn handed it over to Kenyatta only after gauging out the President’s mood that evening. The delivery was made after the old man had enjoyed cultural and traditional dances performed by Nyakinyua women traditional Kikuyu dancers from Subukia and Rongai

Within the next two days, Achieng’ was summoned by the PRISON COMMANDER AT Kamiuti and told to get ready of going home. tHe former PS was to tall friends year latter that he could believed what he was hearing and the news came to him like a dream. The same morning he was airlifted by the Police Airwing fronm Wilson Airport in Nairobi Nairobi to Kabunde Aerodrome near Homa-Bay town..The plane touched down in the ,id-morning and there he was whisked out of sight of everyone around snd placed in a police van which drove him to his k0ochia Karamul village home about ten kilometer in the southeast of Homa-Bay town.

The next day a team of workers from the MOW visited his home to carry out a thorough renovation work on his house. President Kenyatta coughed out his personal money to the tune of Kshs 20,000. Achieng’ instructed him not to appear anywhere in public place, market place, or by the main road until after the time when his prison terms are over. Kenyatta later helped Achieng’ financially, which enable him win the a Parliamentary seat the larger Homa-Bay constituency in 1974.

For the whole duration of the period when Achieng’ was confined into his own home this writer acted as an emissary delivering messages from Achieng’ to President Kemnyata.

It was during these exercises that I learnt that Kenyatta only ideologically disagreed with his former Vice President and a close friend Jaramgi Oginga Odinga, and not the entire members of the Luo community. He loved the talent and used to speak well of the two Luo academic giants in the name of Prof; David Wasawo and Prof Alan Bethwell Bethwell Ogot, Dr William Odongo Omamo and George King Omolo George King a perfet English speaker and an educationist who had acted as English interpreter during his in famous Kapenguria trial of 1953.

Aloys Philiph Achieng’’ was a multi-talented person who was also a pilot and a sharp shooter as well as a Makarere trained fisheries spevialist.

He once shot and killed a rougue bull Hipo which was causing havoc in Mzee Kenyatta’s farm near Ruiru town. But their relations was cemented down when the emperor HAILIE Salessie of Ethiopia came visiting Kenya on a State Visit.

Kenyatta, according to Achieng’s testimony several years later was told the Emperor loved feeding ann Guinea fawls and not chicken and Jomo instructed Achieng’s with a daunting task of looking for several Guinea Fowls. The former PS moved to Kadiado with a shot guns and sh0t dead six guinea fowls. When be brought the dead birds to State House, Nairobi, Kenyatta told him that the Emperor cannot feed himself on dead birds. Achieng’s got disturbed and wondered as to where he could find the live guinea fowls. Fortunately one European resident of kilimani was breeding guinea fowls in his compound. Acieng’s visited the man and secured six live birds for which he paid dearly and brought them to Stte House amd this pleased mzee Kenyatta very much who praised him lavishly for his effort. This became the beginning of the friendship bond between the two men.

The obediency and the bond of friendship between Achieng’ and Mzees later to pay him handsomely.

Ends