Nahashon Njoroge Tom Mboya's Convicted Assassin Loses Appeal | October 1969

Monday, October 13th 1969.

Footage of scenes outside of the Nairobi law court where the appeal of Nahason Njoroge, the convicted assassin of Tom Mboya, Kenya's Minister of Economic Planning, was dismissed.

Only journalists were allowed in the public gallery of the East African Court of Appeals chamber of Nairobi's High Court building. Njoroge was handcuffed and under heavy guard

Njoroge's wife and some of his relatives were present in court. Afterwards, he was taken back to his condemned cell in Kamiti Prison in a heavily guarded prison truck.

Source: Reuters News Archives.

Note:

1. Njoroge was secretly executed at 3.am. on Saturday, November 8th 1969 at a prison in Nairobi. When word got out of the execution later in the month, it was not by way of an official announcement.

2. The execution occurred just days after Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta had turned the country into a one-party state by banning the Luo-based opposition party.

3. Controversy and conspiracy theories endure over the case. Many Luos believed at the time had Mboya's murder was organised by members of Kenya's Kikuyu dominated elite. Many were convinced of Jomo Kenyatta's responsibility on the grounds that Mboya presented a threat to his leadership. Njoroge's words of "Why don't you go after the big man?" helped to fuel this.

4. An alternate theory lays the blame for Mboya's murder on the supporters of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga who it is claimed feared that Mboya's appeal was taking support away from him among the Luo.