Archbishop Gitari demands to know who wanted him dead

By Joseph Muchiri

Retired Anglican Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya Rev Dr David Gitari Tuesday disclosed the atrocities he suffered during the Kanu rule.

Gitari told the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) sitting in Nyeri, how his home was raided by thugs on April 22, 1989.

He said the thugs broke into his home in the middle of the night with intent to kill him.

The events leading to the raid on his house centred mainly on his role of fighting for justice in the country, he said.

He demanded to know the truth about who was behind the raid on his home in Kirinyaga as the thugs clearly said their mission was to kill him.

Fortunately, Gitari and his family climbed to the roof of the house from where they raised an alarm and when neighbours arrived the thugs run away.

He was a bishop of Mt Kenya East Diocese for 15 years between 1975 and 1990 where he served under the regimes of Presidents Kenyatta and Moi.

Retired Anglican Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya Rev Dr David Gitari. Photo: File/Standard

He said he was disturbed by the injustices that were going on at that time in the country. A time, he said, when people would get away with crimes.

When in 1975 Nyandarua politician JM Kariuki was murdered Gitari said he went to the media to protest against President Kenyatta’s government as it was obvious some of Kenyatta’s cronies had a hand in the murder.

Following Kariuki’s murder, Gitari recalls that parliament appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances leading to the murder.

"Some people were mentioned as having played a role in Kariuki’s murder but nothing was done, where is justice?" Gitari posed.

The second high profile murder was that of Robert Ouko in 1990. Many commissions were subsequently set up to investigate the chilling murder, but Ouko’s killers have not been known to date.

"There must be people in government who know how Ouko was killed," said Gitari.

He said the many commissions formed by the government whose findings have never been made public concerned him.

"The government forms commissions to hoodwink people," said the retired archbishop adding that he hoped the TJRC would not be like the other previous commissions.

He reflected that in the 1980s the government tried to silence everyone and as a result, outspoken MPs, the media and trade unions were muted.

"And only a few church leaders like me, Bishop Henry Okullu and Bishop Kipsang Muge could not be silenced," the retired prelate recalled.

When Kanu government announced that the 1988 elections would be through a queuing system Gitari raised an objection.

He said he was at the time chairing a meeting of 200 pastors at Kenyatta University and they agreed to oppose the mlolongo (queue voting) system.

Gitari told TJRC that he witnessed first hand the injustices of the mlolongo system when he visited a few polling stations and could see smaller queues winning and the longer ones losing.

He summed it: "According to Kanu’s mathematics, five was bigger than 5, 000!"

Gitari urged the TJRC to go to the National Archives, retrieve a report commissioned on his house raid and hand him and his family members copies.

Another injustice Gitari raised was committed when 3, 000 Kanu delegates meeting at Kasarani passed 12 resolutions in 12 minutes. Among them that NCCK should be abolished.

He says the government used the delegates as a rubber stamp to pass the resolutions.