The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has initiated a fresh investigation into the assassination of former Labour Minister Tom Mboya, which occurred on July 5, 1969.
This decision follows revelations from a newspaper article indicating that a man confessed to purchasing the weapon used in the assassination along Moi Avenue (formerly Government Road).
Tom Mboya, serving as the Minister of Economic Planning and National Development at the time of his death, was fatally shot by Nahashon Isaac Njenga shortly after leaving Chani’s Pharmacy in Nairobi.
For decades, Nahashon Isaac Njenga has been the primary suspect and the sole direct link to Mboya’s assassination, having been convicted to hang for the crime.
However, recent disclosures published in the Saturday Nation on July 6, 2024, shed new light on the assassination conspiracy. According to the article, 92-year-old Ndwiga Kathamba Muruathika from Embu confessed to being involved in the plot alongside Nahashon Isaac Njenga and another individual.
Ndwiga detailed how the trio ambushed Mboya outside Chani’s Pharmacy, with Nahashon Njenga firing the fatal shot that ended Mboya’s promising political career and altered Kenya’s political landscape significantly.
Mboya’s visit to the pharmacy, where he had informed staff he would be picking up prescriptions, raised speculation about potential surveillance by the defunct and controversial Special Branch, a spy unit under the Criminal Investigations Division (CID), now known as the DCI. During this visit, Mboya was without his usual bodyguards.
“As he walked out of the chemist, two shots rang out,” the article reported.
Following the shooting, Mboya was rushed to Nairobi Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Nahashon Isaac Njenga was swiftly identified as the prime suspect, prosecuted, and eventually sentenced to death by hanging.
Decades later, the revelation by Ndwiga Kathamba Muruathika has prompted the DCI to launch a renewed investigation into one of Kenya’s most significant political assassinations.
“The attention of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has been drawn to an article in the Saturday Nation dated July 6th, 2024. The article reports that a 92-year-old man purchased the pistol that was used in the killing of Tom Mboya, a trade unionist, educator, Pan-Africanist, author, former minister and statesman. The DCI has initiated an investigation and necessary action will be taken once the investigation is complete,” stated the DCI.
Ndwiga Kathamba Muruathika, also known as Ndume, provided a comprehensive account of the events leading to Tom Mboya’s assassination. He alleged that a powerful group of government officials orchestrated the assassination due to Mboya’s growing influence and perceived threat to their authority.
Ndume further disclosed his role in surveilling Mboya until the fateful day of July 5, 1969, when Nahashon Isaac Njenga carried out the shooting. He also revealed how he procured the murder weapon from the black market along the Kenya-Somalia border.
