Mzee Kenyatta’s ghosts return 42 years later, robed in reforms attire

President Kenyatta Jomo (L) welcomes his vice Moi who is the leader of Government business 1973. [File, Standard]

When two wealthy and powerful MPs engaged in political chit chat as their plane soared over Europe on their way to Geneva, little did they know that they were flirting with the hangman.

The year was 1976. One seat was high flying nominated MP Njenga Karume, the wealthy Kiambu politician who controlled the purse strings of the Gikuyu Embu Meru Association, simply known as Gema. His pal was the cantankerous Nakuru North MP Kihika Kimani, who was also a prominent Gema leader and acted as the eyes and ears of Jomo Kenyatta in the Rift Valley.