When Kisumu Town went up in flames

At this time half a century ago, Kenya’s political temperatures were beyond boiling point.

Early in July, Cabinet minister Tom Mboya had been shot dead in broad daylight as he ventured out in a Nairobi street.

In the following weeks, the leader of the political opposition, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, upped his game to upset the apple cart. The Head of State, Jomo Kenyatta, overreacted to show him who was the boss.

In the last week of October, the President was on a whirlwind tour of western Kenya.

On the third day, he was to open the agricultural show in Kakamega Town and later open the newly-built Nyanza General Hospital (now Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital).

Opposition leader Jaramogi and the Russian ambassador would be present at the later function.

Security intelligence gathered was that there was likely to be chaos and the President was advised not to show up

Early in the morning, the President had a long conversation with the security intelligence head and the head of the civil service.

The latter, Geoffrey Kareithi, who spoke to me years later, recalled the conversation with the President.

“The President was so upset to hear us tell him not to go to Kisumu,” he recalled. On hearing the security brief and the advisory, the President said as he cut the phone: “Why tell me not to go to Kisumu, is Kisumu not part of Kenya? And I am the President of Kenya!”

At about 3pm, the presidential motorcade entered Kisumu, proceeding to the hospital grounds.

He was received with boos by crowds shouting the opposition party Kenya Peoples Union (KPU) slogan, Dume! Dume!

At the entrance to the hospital grounds, stones and shoes were thrown at the presidential motorcade. The presidential guards responded with gunfire.

Unperturbed, the President proceeded to inspect a guard of honour, and moved to the microphone to make his remarks.

Opposition leader Jaramogi moved forward to face the President. Here are the excerpts of the proceedings:

Kenyatta: “Countrymen, I am happy to be here to open this hospital. As you well know, the hospital was constructed with help from our Russian friends.

Though constructed a while ago, we had not been able to commission it because of commitments here and there. But finally today, we have a chance to commission the hospital so that it can be of use to our people.

But before I commission the hospital, I want to make a few remarks: I begin by saying that you people have no gratitude … [At that juncture, an enraged Odinga walked towards the microphone and shouted something at Kenyatta, who responded shouting at the top of his voice.]

You Odinga, were it not for the respect I have for our friendship, I would have ordered that you be locked up right away to prove who is in charge in this country: whether it is Kanu or hooligans.

But you must warn your followers. Otherwise, if they bring trouble again, we will show them that Kenya has a government. Nobody should joke around with us.

Odinga, you know I don’t play around. I have tolerated you for this long because you are my friend, otherwise you know what I could have done.” [At that point Odinga interrupted Kenyatta yet again and challenged him to imprison him if he so wished.]

Odinga to Kenyatta: Detain me at Manyani!

Kenyatta: Shut up! It is not you to tell me what to do. I know it myself.

[Then looking in the direction of the Russian ambassador, Kenyatta said]: “I said this is Kenya and we are capable of ruling ourselves. We have the mandate from the citizens and we cannot allow an individual or a group of people to play around with us.

As you well remember, Odinga, I once told you that I was going to bring down colonialism. Did I not tell you so? How come then that you dare bring hooligans here to play about with the government?

But now I am telling you as I look at you straight with my two eyes. Warn these people otherwise they are going to have it very rough.

We are fighting tribalism and we can’t allow an individual to bring the vice to our country. We want one Kenya from north to south. We are all Kenyans.

We came here to open this hospital and I am very disappointed to see the people who are to benefit from the hospital coming here to bring trouble.

Of what benefit has KPU been to the people of Kenya? What has KPU done? Nothing. They only say Dume! Dume! Dume! [Unprintable word].

What has the party done in Luoland? Just tell us? Nothing at all. They only make noise like wild animals. But your good government has done a lot and will continue to do more.

I am telling you, Odinga, on the face that right now I have ordered that those hooligans of yours be crushed mercilessly so that they don’t joke around with us next time.

I am the one who sent you, Odinga, to Russia. Didn’t I? Then you got cheated while there.

Were it not that you are an old comrade, having helped me fight colonialists, I would have taught you a lesson. And you know well that I don’t joke around.

So you, too, stop joking with me! You put hooligans on the streets to make trouble and yourself you come to sit comfortably here?

If you are man enough, why couldn’t you be with them in the streets to hurl insults? You come here slowly and comfortably sit beside me while you leave them to be beaten by police?

And many have been hurt because of telling them to go and play around with the government. If you didn’t know that, know it now.

Do you think I would have wanted something like that to happen?”

[At that point the crowd, which had regrouped, booed Kenyatta, who responded by shouting back at them and threatening them that he would walk up to where they were and beat them up himself.]

Kenyatta [to the crowd]: “You shut up! What is the noise about? What is up? I don’t want to hear any noise lest I come there and beat you up myself!

When I get angry I don’t care whether you are a father or a mother. I cannot allow anybody to joke around with me!

“You, Odinga, show us what you have done for the people? Nothing! But us we can go from one corner of our country to the other saying this hospital was built by the Kanu government; this school was built by the Kanu government.

But you, what have you done for this country? Tell us now in broad daylight. Just tell us now of this or that you have done?

I can say that there is no land more fertile than where you come from Odinga. Now, have you been educating your people on good farming techniques to make them rake profits from the soil?

I don’t think so? Yours is only to make empty noises. Instead of making too much noise, go back to your people and show them how to make riches from the soil.

I did go to your place, Odinga, where I had sent the National Youth Service to clear bushes. And when I went there, the people told me, ‘Mzee, now that the youth have cleared the bushes, give us the jembes (hoes) to cultivate the land.’

In good faith, I gave them jembes. And when I gave them jembes, they turned and asked me, ‘Mzee now that you have given us jembes, who will cultivate the land?’

I told them [unprintable word] if you can’t use your hands to cultivate the land, then don’t cry to the government

“You, Odinga, we have worked together for many years and you know there is no friend I liked more than you. Not even my own brother, and if you were honest, Odinga, you would say that what I am saying is true.

[At that point, Odinga shouted at Kenyatta that he didn’t need him as he had enough food for himself.]

Odinga: But I have enough food for myself!

Kenyatta: Then shut up. If you have enough food, that is fine. I didn’t come here to exchange words with you. Instead of fuelling trouble, instead of poisoning the people, go and teach them to work. After the rioting today, what have they gained! They have been beaten up and some will be locked up!

[Once again, Odinga interrupted Kenyatta by telling him that people had no food.]

Odinga: “The people are hungry!”

Kenyatta: “Why then not give them food? You only fill your own stomach while telling people to go and throw stones!”


Odinga: “But you are the one with authority.”

Kenyatta: “Yes, I have authority. I have authority, but I am going to use my authority responsibly. I won’t use my authority to throw stones here and there.

“Or what else do you want us to do? To go and sleep with your wives? When did you hear of a man sleeping in another man’s bed?”

[At that point, it occurred to the presidential guards that Kenyatta was not about to leave before pouring his entire spleen on Odinga. It took the tactfulness of his escort commander Bernard Njinu to persuade the old man to leave the scene, as the presidential guard literally shot to clear the way.]

How times and generations change! Today, Jomo Kenyatta’s son is the President and Jaramogi’s son is the opposition leader. But they are the best of political friends after the handshake.

And while Jomo Kenyatta loathed Russians for helping Odinga to defy him, this week his son was in Russia as friend of the old superpower. Indeed, politics is the art of the possible.