Exactly 36 years ago, was an ill-fated August 1, 1982 coup against the Kanu regime by a group of Kenya Airforce men based at the Eastleigh base, Nairobi.
Protecting installations: The army arrives at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. [File]Standard]
The coup started at 3am and by 4am, the Eambakasi air base had fallen followed by the capture of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation station (then VOK) in Nairobi by rebel soldiers led by Senior Private Hezekiah Ochuka and Sergeant Pancras Oteyo Okumu at 6am.
Veteran broadcaster Leonard Mambo Mbotela would be grabbed from his Eastlands home and forced to announce that the military had taken over the government; that all political prisoners should be freed and police should lay down their arms and "behave like civilians".
The coup was, however, short-lived and by noon loyal soldiers had nipped in the bud with the coup leaders Ochuka and Okumu fleeing to Tanzania.
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The plan was to bomb State House, Nairobi and the GSU headquarters from the Laikipia Air Force in Nanyuki base but the plan didn't work.
