After studying Kenya's history around the period before and immediately after independence, I have concluded and can state unequivocally that of all independence heroes, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was the ONLY who actually knew what the country needed and the only one with a plan.
There are at least four things that history books don't like to mention;
1. Jaramogi spending months in the villages across Kenya, mobilising citizens to form investment groups to be able to own assets upon independence. The Luo Thrift was just a fraction of the story. Wherever he went, from Western Kenya to the Coast, Jaramogi was the only independence leader trying to get the people to prime themselves for ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE.
2. His close monitoring of, and association with indigenous religious leaders like Dini ya Msambwa prophet Elijah Masinde Wanameme and future Legio Maria Pope Melkizedeck Mesia Ondeto. Indeed, as independence knocked, Jaramogi became a frequent visitor to Prophet Masinde's holding cell in Lamu, seeking to have the freedom of all independence fighters guaranteed at the same time.
There was a bigger story to this. In Jaramogi's mind, the white man's religion had been used as a tool for colonisation. To be truly independent, these indigenous religious leaders and organizations, mainstreaming their African methods of worship, could be used as a basis for RELIGIOUS INDEPENDENCE. Jaramogi could see that the sort of independence we were about to be given was merely on paper, and it was important, as Bob Marley would have said, for the people to emancipate themselves from mental slavery. It will therefore not surprise you that as Kenyatta's new regime was sending troops to neutralise remnants of the Mau Mau in the forests, or killing Jaramogi's bosom buddy Pio Gama Pinto, they slapped a detention order on Prophet Masinde, which lasted until Moi took power.
3. Many know about the colonialists attempting to divide the freedom movement by offering Jaramogi a chance to form government, which he duly declined. But history doesn't do justice to a bigger story there. In November 1953, Councillor Ambrose Ofafa, a pioneer Luo businessman, suave politician and key pillar of the independence struggle, was murdered in Nairobi. At this time, the colonialists were pushing Kikuyus out of Nairobi and into the reserve as punishment over the Mau Mau, confiscating their businesses and trying to hand them over to mostly Luos. Ofafa was accused of being among the businessmen who had been handed Kikuyu enterprises.
Ofafa's assassination was staged by the colonialists to look like a Kikuyu revenge hit. Jaramogi was deep in the villages in Western, mobilising investment and independence groups. He heard of the death and that the colonialists were set to arm Luos in Nairobi to fight Kikuyus, which would have crippled the independence struggle. He set to Nairobi in a massive hurry! The story goes that when his vehicle had mechanical issues on the road, he even tried covering some distance by foot, because every minute was a risk that tribal unity ahead of independence would be gone for good. He arrived, panting. He went looking for all Luos he could, with one message; don't be foolish, they are dividing to kill our independence dream! This one act in fact played the biggest role in how things turned out on 12th December 1963. Jaramogi averted a catastrophe.
4. Before and after independence, Jaramogi was visiting his Russian and Eastern European friends mobilising funds and support for projects back home. He didn't take these projects to his home in Bondo or to his home district Siaya, as many would have done. There was a massive hospital in Kisumu (another would have gone to Mombasa if he had stayed longer), housing projects in Kakamega, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nairobi, the Lumumba Institute in Nairobi, roads, schools, irrigation, even a dam in Makueni! The man wasn't resting…1/2
There are at least four things that history books don't like to mention;
1. Jaramogi spending months in the villages across Kenya, mobilising citizens to form investment groups to be able to own assets upon independence. The Luo Thrift was just a fraction of the story. Wherever he went, from Western Kenya to the Coast, Jaramogi was the only independence leader trying to get the people to prime themselves for ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE.
2. His close monitoring of, and association with indigenous religious leaders like Dini ya Msambwa prophet Elijah Masinde Wanameme and future Legio Maria Pope Melkizedeck Mesia Ondeto. Indeed, as independence knocked, Jaramogi became a frequent visitor to Prophet Masinde's holding cell in Lamu, seeking to have the freedom of all independence fighters guaranteed at the same time.
There was a bigger story to this. In Jaramogi's mind, the white man's religion had been used as a tool for colonisation. To be truly independent, these indigenous religious leaders and organizations, mainstreaming their African methods of worship, could be used as a basis for RELIGIOUS INDEPENDENCE. Jaramogi could see that the sort of independence we were about to be given was merely on paper, and it was important, as Bob Marley would have said, for the people to emancipate themselves from mental slavery. It will therefore not surprise you that as Kenyatta's new regime was sending troops to neutralise remnants of the Mau Mau in the forests, or killing Jaramogi's bosom buddy Pio Gama Pinto, they slapped a detention order on Prophet Masinde, which lasted until Moi took power.
3. Many know about the colonialists attempting to divide the freedom movement by offering Jaramogi a chance to form government, which he duly declined. But history doesn't do justice to a bigger story there. In November 1953, Councillor Ambrose Ofafa, a pioneer Luo businessman, suave politician and key pillar of the independence struggle, was murdered in Nairobi. At this time, the colonialists were pushing Kikuyus out of Nairobi and into the reserve as punishment over the Mau Mau, confiscating their businesses and trying to hand them over to mostly Luos. Ofafa was accused of being among the businessmen who had been handed Kikuyu enterprises.
Ofafa's assassination was staged by the colonialists to look like a Kikuyu revenge hit. Jaramogi was deep in the villages in Western, mobilising investment and independence groups. He heard of the death and that the colonialists were set to arm Luos in Nairobi to fight Kikuyus, which would have crippled the independence struggle. He set to Nairobi in a massive hurry! The story goes that when his vehicle had mechanical issues on the road, he even tried covering some distance by foot, because every minute was a risk that tribal unity ahead of independence would be gone for good. He arrived, panting. He went looking for all Luos he could, with one message; don't be foolish, they are dividing to kill our independence dream! This one act in fact played the biggest role in how things turned out on 12th December 1963. Jaramogi averted a catastrophe.
4. Before and after independence, Jaramogi was visiting his Russian and Eastern European friends mobilising funds and support for projects back home. He didn't take these projects to his home in Bondo or to his home district Siaya, as many would have done. There was a massive hospital in Kisumu (another would have gone to Mombasa if he had stayed longer), housing projects in Kakamega, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Nairobi, the Lumumba Institute in Nairobi, roads, schools, irrigation, even a dam in Makueni! The man wasn't resting…1/2
Jaramogi was pushing the country towards academic independence, infrastructural independence, food security…the works.
Having been a great friend and frequent guest of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jaramogi had seen how revolutionary leadership had turned Egypt into a food basket, revitalised irrigation agriculture and turned it into a powerhouse, with much Russian support too. He looked at the map of Kenya as one indivisible and progressive entity. With his access to foreign largesse, if Jaramogi, like Kenyatta, had deicided to enrich his family and forget the nation, he would indeed have become fabulously rich. But he wasn't that kind of man.
These are only four of many cases, but you get the drift.
On 20th January 1994, the great Adonijah Ajuma Oginga Odinga, the Jaramogi, rested. Tomorrow will mark exactly thirty years since. Newspaper editors fancifully mourned him as the best President Kenya never had. I can't remember it it was Prof Ouma Muga, who once mentioned that Kenya would continue suffering because the betrayal of real independence heroes had left a curse that would only be removed if a real freedom hero or second liberation luminary took power and restored the nation on the real path to democracy and prosperity. I agree with him.
Of those independence heroes, there is none before and none after, who can hold a candle to Jaramogi. Sadly, the only things people know about the great freedom fighter are media stories and details in the rather small volume of the book, ‘Not Yet Uhuru’. When we buried Jaramogi, we sent into sainthood the greatest nationalist to ever walk this land. Long after being shunned from power and national politics, when he could have fallen prey to divisive politics, he stayed the nationalist course. When multiparty politics returned in 1992, he kept the faith in nationhood. One day his story will be properly told.
But his legacy is of personal sacrifice for national good, belief in nationhood and a firm foundation in independence. No one will ever match that. And I don't say that lightly. 2/2
Having been a great friend and frequent guest of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jaramogi had seen how revolutionary leadership had turned Egypt into a food basket, revitalised irrigation agriculture and turned it into a powerhouse, with much Russian support too. He looked at the map of Kenya as one indivisible and progressive entity. With his access to foreign largesse, if Jaramogi, like Kenyatta, had deicided to enrich his family and forget the nation, he would indeed have become fabulously rich. But he wasn't that kind of man.
These are only four of many cases, but you get the drift.
On 20th January 1994, the great Adonijah Ajuma Oginga Odinga, the Jaramogi, rested. Tomorrow will mark exactly thirty years since. Newspaper editors fancifully mourned him as the best President Kenya never had. I can't remember it it was Prof Ouma Muga, who once mentioned that Kenya would continue suffering because the betrayal of real independence heroes had left a curse that would only be removed if a real freedom hero or second liberation luminary took power and restored the nation on the real path to democracy and prosperity. I agree with him.
Of those independence heroes, there is none before and none after, who can hold a candle to Jaramogi. Sadly, the only things people know about the great freedom fighter are media stories and details in the rather small volume of the book, ‘Not Yet Uhuru’. When we buried Jaramogi, we sent into sainthood the greatest nationalist to ever walk this land. Long after being shunned from power and national politics, when he could have fallen prey to divisive politics, he stayed the nationalist course. When multiparty politics returned in 1992, he kept the faith in nationhood. One day his story will be properly told.
But his legacy is of personal sacrifice for national good, belief in nationhood and a firm foundation in independence. No one will ever match that. And I don't say that lightly. 2/2
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