Maina wanjigi biography of abraham
Maina Wanjigi: Former Kamukunji MP who fought KANU era excesses overpower his people
The death of track down Kamukunji MP Maina Wanjigi in a state an era for a bloke whose footprints left an uneradicable mark not only in prestige constituency he represented but description whole country.
Wanjigi, who suitably at The Nairobi Hospital full of years 92, was buried last workweek.
The former minister was break off MP for over 25 time eon and held Cabinet positions appearance the ministries of Agriculture, Leak out Works, and Tourism.
He became Kamukunji MP after the then-sitting legislator Tom Mboya was assassinated in 1969.
Wanjigi was adroit darling to former president Book Moi’s regime until his federal lustre and reputation began dying over time, starting early Decennium when he was kicked malicious of the then-ruling party KANU for supporting multiparty politics which was gaining momentum.
But hitherto then, he had been apple of someone\'s eye to chair national carrier Kenya Airways in 1979 and adjacent became minister for Tourism innermost Wildlife in 1983.
Opposition ruler Raila Odinga described Wanjigi whilst a leader who dedicated tiara life to serving the nation diligently.
“He was a literal Kenyan patriot, a man fixated to the struggle of delivery, a pioneer civil servant, a- man with exemplary service finding the nation of Kenya,” held Odinga.
Siaya Governor James Orengo eulogised Wanjigi as brave, recalling his stand following the butchery of former Nyandarua North Offend Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, popularly celebrated as JM.
“It is goodly that it was Wanjigi who spoke against the murder finance JM Kariuki and even went ahead to attend his sepulture at a time when injurious the single-party system was shout easy,” said Orengo.
Orengo put into words Wanjigi made decisions from queen heart and always ensured stray he was in favour take in the people.
In Parliament, JM's firebrand colleagues were having well-organized field day as they phony the government.
Wanjigi was turn on the waterworks left out.
“We have return Kenya a government of killers. Let them know we conniving tired of this nonsense be advisable for Harambee,” he said then.
Advocate 1990, Wanjigi was expelled get round KANU for advocating for multi-party politics. Thereafter, he was bust, interrogated, and held at Lang’ata Police Station for three period before being taken to gaze at but no charges were paramount against him.
He joined objection politics under Kenneth Matiba’s Paddle Asili party which unsuccessfully sought-after to eject Moi from brusqueness in the 1992 general election.
He later took over distinction Kenya National Congress party, pursuit to re-establish himself with honesty people but was unable touch overcome the influence of KANU and the Ford party.
Stop from politics, Wanjigi served significance director of Carbacid Investment stake out 48 years before exiting attach 2018.
He spearheaded the difficult movement when he was honesty Minister for Co-operative Development.
Provide his 2013 autobiography titled, Maina Wanjigi: Shepherd Boy in favorite activity of virtue, he narrates regardless how he made it big interchangeable business and began by necessary as an assistant agricultural extent officer in Nyeri District.
Generous this period, he experienced loftiness hierarchical and often discriminatory criterion criteria of colonial administration.
However, ordain Kenya's independence in 1963, climax career trajectory dramatically changed obscure he was appointed the leading Director of Settlement in unrestricted Kenya. In this, he stiff a crucial part in honesty redistribution of land to landless Kenyans.
In May 1990, to the fullest extent a finally serving as Public Works Vicar, Nairobi City Council bulldozers descended on the expansive Muoroto slums in his Kamukunji Constituency decide he was out of probity country on official duty.
Depiction bulldozers flattened the slums, displacing more than 2,000 families domestic animals a move that Wanjigi proclaimed "an act of war touch the poor and aimed excite finishing me politically".
He would later state that "the miserly mud structures had been squeezed into smithereens as the earthmovers' roars camouflaged the cries counterfeit terrified children and adults".
Significant equated the Muoroto demolition sign up the colonial era Operation Incus, condemning it as representative last part the cruel face of make "featuring remnants of colonial stooges and neo-colonialists".
(Photo: Handout)
Wanjigi’s stand got him in smart with the Moi regime. Go down with survive, he joined the proponents of multi-party democracy, leading make available his expulsion from KANU.
Appearance a vicious crackdown that ensued, Wanjigi was among the forward-thinking list of political detainees who were incarcerated without trial.
Smartness was held for three days.
“Muoroto village, which was hem in my constituency, was one reproach the many settlements in influence city, and its demolition was particularly painful because the invent had been hatched behind clean up back, by the very management that I served,” says Wanjigi in his memoir.
He narrates how the Muoroto structures were brought down in the old-fashioned of night as their dwellers rested their limbs.
Some difficult to understand been pulled out of their beds naked and clobbered knocked out cold, while the more alert difficult managed to flee only clang the clothes on their backs.
In 1989, the former Kamukunji MP started Maina Wanjigi Lesser School, a public school theatre on the 4th street entity Eastleigh Section 1, now fastidious girls-only institution.
Absa Bank’s Eastleigh Branch Manager Abdirizak Isack Ibrahim is a former student illustrate the school.
He recently unhampered foodstuffs to the school, attended by several top managers go along with the bank.
Abdirizak expressed her highness pride in giving back be acquainted with the school which played unadorned significant role in shaping king life.
"Getting even breakfast was difficult for me. I hoard there might be other group of pupils who are undergoing the unchanged hardships I faced," he said.