Today will do just fine for Kenya. Preferably by 7Th July 2014, but certainly not later than 1st August 2014.
Military Coups are all about killing people and taking over power by Forceful and Unconstitutional Means. On August 1st 1982, there was such a Coup D'état in Kenya. For approximately 6 hours, Kenya was in the hands of one who was not the President.
Raila Amollo Odinga, his late father and the young misguided luo air force officers killed to get political power. This was a blatant and unlawful act to topple President Moi's Young and Constitutionally Established Government.
More than 1,200 innocent Kenyans were massacred mercilessly. Many more families, and Kenya in general, was devastated and horrendously affected in the aftermath. Take the case of a number of Asian women who had to commit suicide after being gang-raped during the coup. President Daniel arap Moi, estimated the damage caused in a few hours of looting in the capital's main shopping centers at $110 million (KShs. 9, 570, 000, 000).
By 1982, the Kenya Penal Code, Article 40 stated as follows:
(1) Any person who, owing allegiance to the Republic, in Kenya or elsewhere -
(a) compasses, imagines, invents, devises or intends - (i) the death, maiming or wounding, or the imprisonment or restraint, of the President; or (ii) the deposing by unlawful means of the President from his position as President or from the style, honour and name of Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kenya; or (iii) the overthrow by unlawful means of the Government; and
(b) expresses, utters or declares any such compassings, imaginations, inventions, devices or intentions by publishing any printing or writing or by any overt act or deed, is guilty of the offence of treason.
(2) Any person who, owing allegiance to the Republic -
(a) levies war in Kenya against the Republic; or
(b) is adherent to the enemies of the Republic, or gives them aid or comfort, in Kenya or elsewhere; or
(c) instigates whether in Kenya or elsewhere any person to invade Kenya with an armed force, is guilty of the offence of treason.
(3) Any person who is guilty of the offence of treason shall be sentenced to death.
On 31 July 1982 a group of junior military men in the Kenyan Air Force, who were predominantly Luo in origin, launched a coup that wrested power from the Moi regime.
Senior Private Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka was a man obsessed with becoming the President of Kenya. He had the words "The next president of Kenya" carved on his desk. It led him to quickly accept a proposal by Senior Sergeant Pancras Okumu Oteyo and Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon to overthrow the government.
Senior Sergeant Pancras Okumu Oteyo, Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon and Senior Private Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka had their first meeting at the Eastleigh base swimming pool on March 8, 1982. The plot began in earnest. In mid-April, Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon made contact with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and briefed him on their plan to overthrow President Moi.
This visit resulted in the involvement of John Odongo Langi, generally referred to as Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s “security man”. Mr. John Odongo Langi had been trained in Czechoslovakia. He was part of the group of unemployables as a result of the Kenyatta and Moi paranoia against military-trained friends of Oginga Odinga.
Mr. Langi would be one of the main civilian links between the military coup planners and the Kenyan society outside the barracks. His assistant was Mr. Opwapo Ogai. Opwapo was in the Kenyan Army and was sent for training in Kazakhstan and was not re-absorbed into the army.
On May 2, 1982 Senior Private Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka met Senior Sergeant Pancras Okumu Oteyo and Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon at the Three-in-One Bar. They met as the People’s Redemption Council which was agreed to comprise:
Snr. Pvt. Ochuka who was elected chairman, Snr. Sgt. Pancras Okumu Oteyo, Sgt. Joseph Ogidi Obuon, Sgt. Samuel Opiyo, Sgt. Richard Obuon, Cpl. Fenwick Chesori Odera Obedi, Cpl. Ombok and Captain Agola. Half of the membership of the council reportedly met Oginga Odinga.
Snr. Pvt. Ochuka, the chairman, reportedly informed Jaramogi Oginga Odinga that they had no politician in their plan. He went further to make it clear that “the government that would follow would be purely military, and no civilians would be in the ruling council”. Ochuka made it clear that he was the one to become President and not Oginga Odinga, the old man blessed the coup and provided financial support to the tune of 2M KShs.
Raila Amollo Odinga, briefed Patrick Sumba, also known as “Paddy Onyango” on the ferment in the military and the efforts of the Ochuka group to overthrow the government of President Moi. The two agreed that there was a basis for collaboration with the Ochuka group. They agreed that given the nature of the “project”, information management was crucial and that they would operate with others on a need-to-know basis.
There was a need to decide if the coup should take place when President Moi was in Kenya or outside. The Ochuka group preferred to act when Moi, who at that time, was the chairman of the Organisation of African Unity, would be handing the chairmanship over to the Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi. Raila and Sumba came to the conclusion that it would be better for the president to be in Kenya to avoid him rallying external support and being returned to power by external forces. The military group under Ochuka agreed.
Another issue was the extent of damage. Raila and Sumba pushed the position that even though it was naive to think a coup could be executed without blood, bloodshed if any, would need to be minimised. They argued that Kenyan popular support would be essential after the coup and they should not be perceived as a bunch of reckless and heartless people. They wanted to be seen as agents of positive change. This sentiment was conveyed to the military.
There was also the issue of the day on which to carry out the coup. It had to be on a day of minimum human movement and activity. Hence, the choice of a Saturday night leading to Sunday was agreed upon with the military. Details of purely military matters were held with Langi and Opwapo.
The night of July 31, 1982 was set as the date to strike. Raila had been tasked with the provision of a command post. For this, he secured an apartment on Ngong Road belonging to Professor Alfred Otieno AKA Osanya. The military were then to move all the required communication gadgets to this operational headquarters.
Sumba, was a public affairs executive with Kenya Shell Company Ltd, and also presented a weekly sports programme on the Voice of Kenya as a freelancer. He was to provide adequate intelligence for the taking of the Broadcast House. He was also to undertake reconnaissance on all the residences of diplomatic missions that members of the Moi regime could run into.
By mid-July 1982, Senior Private Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka had been loaned a Peugeot 504, registration number KVZ 042 by Raila Odinga to assist him in making preparations to topple the government.
Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon stated: “On July 11, 1982, I attended a meeting in Ochuka’s house in Nairobi Umoja Estate House K 27. On our arrival, I found the following who were introduced to me by Ochuka: (1) Mr Raila Odinga; (2) Mr John Odongo – the one who found me at Odinga’s office in Kisumu when I paid a visit to him (Odinga); (3) Richard Obuon Guya; (4) Sgt Opiyo; and (5) Cpl Ombok." “During the meeting, Odongo did not speak but Raila addressed us and he said that there would be some help from the neighbouring countries by putting the army on alert on the day of the coup. On that day, Raila did not mention the particular countries. He also spoke about efforts to get arms from external countries. The meeting ended and I and Oteyo went back to Nanyuki.”
On 18th July 1982, as a personal emissary of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila Amollo Odinga visited Ochuka’s house at Umoja Estate, in Nairobi, where together with Ochuka and other airmen, (he) discussed plans to overthrow the government. Raila Amollo Odinga, subsequently made a follow-up meeting with Ochuka on 30th July 1982 at the Little Aden Bar, in Umoja, in addition to a series of other meetings in the course of that month with Ochuka, Paul Geno Okello, and the late Robert Odhiambo Ndege at the Mausoleum Bar, in Buru Buru Estate and at Ong’ere Bar, in Shauri Moyo.
Ochuka ordered Ogidi and Odongo that they meet at Buru Buru shopping centre early in the morning of 31st July 1982. “At the shopping centre, they were joined by Oteyo but not Ochuka. “We decided to wait for Ochuka. He came at about 2.30pm in the company of Raila Odinga, Odemba, Opwapo, Cpl Odera, others and a journalist. The group came in two cars. One was a Peugeot and the other was a foreign registered car. The group found us in a bar which I learnt later was known as Mausoleum Bar." After some discussion, “We got into two cars and headed to Ngong Road house. I and Oteyo boarded the foreign registered car that was being driven by Raila accompanied by Odongo. Opwapo and the journalist got into the other car and we all headed into Ngong Road house.”
On the night of July 31st and August 1st 1982, Raila Amollo Odinga occupied the house of Vincent Otieno along Ngong Road where he assisted Snr. Private Ochuka, and other airmen, to use the house as a centre for operation in their plans to take over the government that day. Earlier in the day, together with the late Opwapo, Raila took a lamp and two accumulator batteries to the same house for the use in the course of establishing a rebel command post.
In addition, Raila’s Peugeot 504 registration number KVZ 042 was loaned to Ochuka and Sgt. Ogidi Obuon. The vehicle enabled the duo to fetch an “SSE” army Land-rover for use in the course of establishing a rebel command centre at Vincent Otieno’s residence, among other things.
The Odingas also loaned Ochuka another vehicle, a Peugeot 305, which belonged to their family friend for purposes connected with the abortive coup.
On Saturday July 31, intense movements and rearrangements were made. The organising group first met in Umoja and then regrouped at a joint in Shauri Moyo Estate. Ochuka, who had earlier briefed Raila, provided a similar briefing to Sumba and Opwapo. Later that night, they all congregated at the command post on Ngong Road. The process began when Ochuka finally came to the command post. He ordered a few people to remain at the command post. These were basically experts in communication.
The attempt to take over the Moi government began at Embakasi military base. The only reason why Embakasi was chosen, was because the armourer, who had agreed to co-operate with the plotters, was based there. He was to open the armoury for the insurgents to take weapons with which they were to capture Eastleigh, Langata and Kahawa barracks.
Opwapo led the group that stormed Embakasi. They went into the base as civilians. Although as they opened the armoury the alarm went off, they took weapons as planned. They ordered the duty officer to surrender. He did. On interrogation later, the duty officer described Opwapo as a civilian who must have been very highly trained.
Opwapo’s team bombed the normal line of communication between Embakasi and the Department of Defence. However, as they tried to exit at the gate, they were challenged. The resulting exchange of fire alerted the Embakasi police who rang police headquarters when the firing persisted. The police headquarters, wanting to know what was happening, contacted the Department of Defence headquarters.
Opwapo’s group moved quickly and captured Eastleigh Air Force base. But the alert that started from Embakasi led to a counter plan, and the group that was to take Langata Barracks was ambushed and crippled.
The group tried to force a group of Air Force fighter pilots to bomb the State House at gunpoint. The pilots pretended to follow the orders on the ground but once airborne they ignored them and instead dropped the bombs over Mount Kenya's forests.
As the operation began, Ochuka, Raila, Sumba and Oteyo all left the command post to survey developments at the targeted installations. They were parked outside Broadcasting House as it was being taken over by Ochuka’s forces from Embakasi. They then drove to Langata, switched on the transmitters and by 6:00am the first announcement was broadcast. Sunday morning 1st August 1982. The National Anthem was not even played before daily commencement of radio and television broadcasting, as was the practice at VOK in those days. Then came Ochuka’s voice out of the blue, announcing that the KANU Government had been overthrown and that the Peoples Redemption Council (PRC), had taken charge.
Later in the morning, Ochuka, Oteyo, Raila, and Sumba drove to Eastleigh Air Force Base. Raila and Sumba decided to move to town. They stopped at the house of one of Raila’s acquaintances in Parklands. Suddenly, just after 11:00am, the music of the old regime was back on air and they realised that something had gone wrong, and that the regime had retaken control of the Voice of Kenya, so they went out to find out what was going on.
They went to the house of Raila’s sister, Dr. Wenwa Akinyi in Chiromo campus to monitor what was happening. She found out that her brother had been involved in the coup attempt. She was, distraught.
At some point they called the command post and asked Opwapo to take Sumba’s car to Dr. Akinyi’s house and pick them up. On the way, Opwapo, who was driving, and Snr. Private Ogidi Obuon, ran into an army ambush. They were shot at. The bullets missed, but they were captured and taken to the Department of Defence. Ogidi knew there was no way out for him, but decided to save Opwapo by claiming that he had hijacked Opwapo. They were taken in and Ogidi was taken away. In the evening, an old man had Opwapo released by claiming he was a friend with whom he watched football. As it became clear, things had crumbled, Raila and Sumba began planning how to escape from Nairobi.
After the coup, the organizers were arrested and tried at the martial courts in the Kenya Army Langata Barracks charged under civil offence contrary to section 69(i)(a) of the Armed Forces Act, chapter 199, Laws of Kenya, that is to say, treason, contrary to section 40(1)(a)(iii) of the Penal Code chapter 63 Laws of Kenya. Those tried and hanged were: Hezekiah Ochuka, Pancras Oteyo Okumu, Charles Oriwa Hongo, Robert Odhiambo Ndege, Bramwel Injeni Njeremani, Fenwicks Chesoli, Joseph Ogidi Obuon, Charles Mirasi Odawa, Walter Odira Ojode, Edward Adel Omollo, James Odemba Otieno and George Akoth Otila.
Senior Private Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka was represented by none other than Moses Wetangula. He was hanged for the coup. Senior Sergeant Pancras Okumu Oteyo. The testimony of Sgt. Pancras Oteyo Okumu at extradition hearings in Tanzania named Hezekiah Rabala Ochuka as leader. Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon. He was hanged after being convicted of treason following a court martial. Court Martial Criminal Appeal/Application No 3 of 1983. Corporal Bramwel Injeni Njereman who was an armaments technician was the first to be convicted of treason on 24 November 1984. He was found guilty of five overt acts and sentenced to death by being hanged. Corporal Walter Odira Ojode was the second to be charged of the same offence on 16 December 1984 of which he was found guilty and he also received the death penalty. Corporal Fenwicks Chesoli Odera Obedi was on Wednesday 9th February 1983 sentenced to death by a Court Martial sitting at Langata Barracks Nairobi for committing treason during the 1st August 1982 coup attempt in Kenya. Corporal Fenwicks Chesoli was hanged in 1986. He was an aircraft technician. Nation Newspaper then reported, “Ninth rebel to die Another Kenya Air Force (KAF) rebel was yesterday sentenced to death for treason”.
During the court trials, the names of Jaramogi and Raila were mentioned as having financed the organizers and Jaramogi was put under house arrest.
Shortly after, Raila was arrested and detained, charged with treason, along with Alfred Vincent Otieno and Otieno Mak’Onyango. However, before his trial commenced, the charges were suddenly withdrawn and the prosecution terminated. He was released on February 5, 1988. A dead man walking. A corpse.
It later transpired that the Odingas had cut a deal with the government that they had just tried to overthrow to be spared to assist Moi bring down Charles Mugane Njonjo. This was the quid pro quo for the treason charges against Raila. During the inquiry into Njonjo’s activities, Raila was briefly brought out of detention to testify against Njonjo. In his arrest statement Raila stated there was a Kikuyu coup slated for 5th August 1982, led by Njonjo and the GSU.
It was his “evidence” that finally helped the Cecil H. E. Miller Commission to ridiculously nail Njonjo on allegations that he had been party to the conspiracy to overthrow President Moi’s government, also in August 1982.
In the end, a total of twelve people had been sentenced to death, and over 900 were jailed. The death sentences were executed on the night of 10th July 1985 at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
Raila Amollo Odinga is guilty of treason against the Republic of Kenya. In 2006, following the launch of Dr Badejo's book, Raila himself admitted his involvement in planning for the coup attempt. In his own autobiography he talk's of "facilitating" the coup.
Whatever deal brokered between Moi and Jaramogi to save Raila, was not with the consent of the Kenyan people nor was it on behalf of the people who lost their lives and livelihood, as such, it is not binding on us!!!
We need to go to Parliament; we need to modify the Statute of Limitations for Prosecution, which he hides under. We need to hang this Butcher; this Enemy of the State at the earliest possible opportunity. Statute of Limitations are written laws passed by a legislative body in common law to restrict the maximum time after an event's legal proceedings may be initialed .
We also need public access to all the court proceedings for all Military Personnel hanged and jailed; all proceedings of private citizens arrested and charged with regard to the coup; and further the proceedings and comprehensive report of the Charles Mugane Njonjo Inquiry, under the chairmanship of Cecil Henry Ethelwood Miller. The extradition trial in Tanzania would also divulge fresh and crucial evidence.
President Moi, Uhuru Kenyatta, Paul Muite, Moses Wetangula, Charles Njonjo, etc by now know exactly what transpired and they should execute this criminal, a political dinosaur that keeps threatening the fragile peace of the Republic of Kenya.
Give me access to information, and I will hang the guy, myself.
CORD supporters are kindly requested to please read up and brush up on their education and watch the videos available on Youtube, before posting nonsensical comments:
1.The Kenya Penal Code 2.Charles Hornsby, Kenya: A History Since Independence, 2013, I. B. Tauris Publishers 3.Jim Bailey, Kenya: The National Epic, 1993, edited by Carole Cooper, Kenway Publishers & East African Publishers 4.Dr. Babafemi Badejo, “Raila Odinga – An Enigma of Kenya Politics” 5.Benjamin Garth Bundeh, Interview of Coup Plotter James Otieno Odemba for Drum, December 1985, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=B3eh2Vefs5YC&pg=PA269&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=true 6.REPUBLIC OF KENYA IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI, October 24, 1983, J H S Todd, E O’Kubasu, JJ, Court Martial Criminal Appeal/Application No 3 of 1983, Obuon v Republic 7.REPUBLIC OF KENYA IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI; OTIENO MAK’ONYANGO V ATTORNEY GENERAL & ANOTHER; Criminal Case No. 2345 of 1982 was consolidated with two other cases being Criminal case Nos. 2346 and 2347 of 1982. 8.REPUBLIC OF KENYA IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI; OTIENO MAK’ONYANGO V ATTORNEY GENERAL & ANOTHER; Civil Case 845 of 2003; Dated, signed and delivered at Nairobi this 15th day of June, 2012, K. H. RAWAL, JUDGE OF APPEAL 9.Miguna Miguna 2012, Peeling Back the Mask, Published by Gilgamesh Africa in 2012 10.http://www.nation.co.ke/News/We+lived+to+tell+1982+coup+story/-/1056/1468120/-/168xrgz/-/index.html 11.HOSTAGE TO FATE: A STORY OF RAILA AMOLO ODINGA, Published by the Nairobi Chronicle, Written by the Chief Editor Email: nairobichronicle@live.com, 21/06/2008 12.The Sunday Standard, March 14, 2004 edition 13.Kenya, After Bungled Coup, Is Seeking $125 Million in Aid; Reuters; Published: August 25, 1982 14.http://samrack.com/ochuka725.asp 15.Sergeant Joseph Ogidi Obuon court testimony and 28-page hand written statement 16.http://kenyalaw.org/caselaw/cases/view/4765/ 17.http://kenyalaw.org/caselaw/cases/view/80535/ 18.http://nipate.com/raila-s-real-role-as-1982-coup-attempt-mastermind-t6102.html 19.Saturday, 19th January, 2008, http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.ph ... sId=607366 20.James Waore Dianga, Kenya 1982: The Attempted Coup — the consequence of a one-party dictatorship). 21.http://kumekucha1.blogspot.com/2007/07/august-1st-1982-coup-attempt-unanswered.html 22.Sunday, September 22, 2013 | by- JOHN KAMAU jkamau@ke.nationmedia.com; Why Moi ejected Njonjo from his government 23.Untold story of the 1982 coup attempt in Kenya: Night meeting that saved Moi presidency By: Roy Gachuhi Posted On: 2010-08-01 http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard 24.http://hardtalkkenya.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/raila-amolo-odinga-a-k-a-mr-kigeugeu-and-the-august-1982-coup-attempt-lest-you-forget/ 25.http://www.a24media.com/kenya-attempted-coup-1982/ 26.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWB_KMIS128 27.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF9CG_JUPBI 28.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7jKSNTRQNo 29.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxJJIBiq1ZM 30.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ1RQzRfJTE 31.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnJPWGCol60 32.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sjRI9cZtrFI 33.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Kenyan_coup_d'état_attempt