I felt touched and sorry a while back early 2020, during the state burial ceremony of the second president of Kenya, the late Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, when I spotted in periphery a old lonely looking old man on walking stick now late former Attorney-General, Charles Njonjo in attendance.
I asked myself, how can state in that case burial planners deny high table place, a man who stood by late Moi in the federity to the law- for him [Moi] to ascend to presidency? And in the process steadied Kenya to navigate on unpreceded first ever post colonial transition. Unlike today where transition is well elaborated in 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
A hero in my reference to Njonjo administration style as per fifth-state recorded history: Is one who does not prescribe to his tribe’s or class sinister vested whims or motives for better good of the country, which the late Njonjo achieved based on the following mainstream media reports.
From 1976, there had been political operatives by Njonjo’s tribal backyard to block Moi from ascending to power. This was spearheaded by some Gikuyu Embu and Meru Association [Gema] stalwarts to attempt to change the Constitution and remove a clause that allowed the Vice-President, upon the death of a President, to act for 90 days pending the election of a new head of state.
However, the all-powerful Attorney-General Charles Njonjo did not align with his tribesmen’s ploy and called an end to the debate, cautioning the country that it was treasonous to imagine, plan or encompass the death of the President. Anyone doing any of these things did so at their own risk. The public debate stopped.
Being the then principal government legal adviser, Attorney-General Charles Njonjo oversaw the swearing-in of late President Moi by Chief Justice, Sir James Wicks, as acting President shortly before 1pm on August 22, 1978, occasioning smooth transitioning from one generation to another, hence averting any possible anarchy.
That why due integrity, the late former President Moi appointed him [Njonjo] to administer bomb blast kitty, of which he did not disappoint.
That feat without doubts graduate the late former Attorney-General Charles Njonjo as formal hero. I say formal, from formal way of governance pioneer or iniater in Kenya not mention also sexuality norms-read one screaming one leading newspapers headline “Senior Most Eligible Bachelor Married”
RIP Charles