Dr Njuguna Karanja, the VP who asked 'subjects to kneel'

Dr Josephat Njuguna Karanja was Kenya’s fifth vice president between 1988 and 1989.

He resigned after being accused by then-President Daniel Moi’s confidants of plotting to destabilise the presidency and abusing power.

According to speculations at the time, Dr Karanja was carving the plot in collaboration with his western allies, primarily from Britain and the US, where he served as Kenya’s ambassador.

Dr Karanja, a university professor before becoming an ambassador and politician, was born on February 5, 1931.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Delhi University and his master’s degree from the University of Atlanta, before enrolling at Princeton University to study history.

He returned to Kenya after finishing his studies and worked as a history lecturer at Nairobi University College before being appointed as Kenya’s ambassador to Britain at the age of 32.

After completing a seven-year tenure in the United Kingdom, he returned to Kenya.

He first entered politics in 1979 and was elected as a member of parliament for Mathare Constituency in 1986. After two years as a parliamentarian, he was appointed to the vice presidency to replace Mwai Kibaki in 1988.

Dr Karanja’s life and time as Kenya’s fifth vice president, as well as the intrigues surrounding his resignation, exemplify the paradox of Kenyan politics and the curse associated with the vice and deputy president seats.

Dr Karanja began his work with zeal after taking office in 1988.

A year later, in 1989, President Moi was away on official business when Dr Karanja convened a security meeting with key security officials. Moi was enraged by this act, which was performed without his knowledge or permission, sparking a conflict between the two.

Politicians and Moi’s confidants accused Dr Karanja of forcing MPs to kneel before him. There was no evidence of this. He died of cancer in 1994, leaving behind a widow, two daughters, and a son.