Fare thee well Gideon Mutiso, a true patriot who rose above tribe

Gideon Munyao Mutiso was one of the most visionary and principled politicians in, not only South Eastern Kenya, but the entire country.

Having made his political debut in 1955 through the trade union movement, he entered Parliament in 1963 and served through to 1971, making a comeback between 1988 and 1997.

In government under both Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi, he served as an assistant minister, never rising to Cabinet level. He was not a man to thoughtlessly do somebody else's bidding.

Mutiso began his public service career in the colonial military in 1950 following on the footsteps of his father who fought in both the first and second world wars on the British side.

He served in the military until 1955. While stationed in Nyeri, he witnessed the brutality meted upon Africans by homeguards responsible for identifying Mau Mau sympathisers.

This injustice motivated him to seek release from the army. He had to fake a family calamity to earn a honourable discharge. His aroused passion for justice led him to enter active politics through the trade union movement.

Upon being employed by Cables and Wireless company, he launched the Cable and Wireless Workers Union. Subsequently, his union became affiliated to the Kenya Federation of Labour.

Tom Mboya and Mutiso worked in concert within the unfolding Kenya trade union movement which had been birthed in early 1930s under Makhan Singh's Labour Trade Union of Kenya. Because the colonial government forbade the formation of political parties until 1960, African political agitation was substantially channeled through trade unions.

To hone his trade union activist skills, Mutiso attended a labour college in Uganda in 1958. He deputised Mboya as the deputy secretary general of the Kenya Federation of Labour. Later, Mutiso was to represent Kenya in Africa trade union circles.

Both Mboya and Mutiso played a pivotal role in catalysing the merger of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). During this period, they were considered to be in the good books of Kenyatta.

Unlike Kenya's current trade unionism, Mutiso's brand prioritised the right of workers and the total emancipation the people of Kenya. Mutiso's parliamentary career was focused on serving his Yatta constituents and always critically analysing government bills to ensure their thrust was pro-people especially after the 1969 general election during which he had been denied by KANU an opportunity to campaign.

He was, therefore, re-elected after his people shouldered the responsibility of campaigning for their MP. Apart from his consistent radicalism, he distanced himself further from the Kenyatta government when his political comrade, Mboya, was assassinated on July 5, 1969.

As a nationalist, Mutiso vigorously opposed the 1969 Gatundu oathing of primarily the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru (GEMA) communities and their "cousins" (sometimes also called in-laws) the Kamba community.

He felt that the attempt to banish the Luo from mainstream Kenyan politics as the December 6, 1969 general election approached was injurious to the Kenyan nation. Although Mboya had been at odds with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Mutiso differed with the stand of his late friend and denounced the oathing.

In 1963, Mutiso had vied for Parliament through Paul Ngei's Africa People's Party. However, in 1969, he did not see eye to eye with Ngei on the oathing issue. Mutiso's opposition to the oathing did not go well with the Kenyatta inner circle. Unknown to him, his goose was slowly being cooked.

Interestingly, Major General Joseph Musyimi Lele Ndolo, the then Chief of General Staff, did not also support the oathing agenda after its architects involved the military.

In 1971, as a consequence of an alleged coup d'etat, 13 individuals were arraigned for attempting to overthrow the government of Kenyatta. One of those implicated was Joseph Daniel Owino, who had been accused of participating in the 1964 Lanet mutiny, which had been suppressed by British officers with assistance of both Ndolo and Jackson Mulinge.

In the coup, Maj Gen Ndolo, Chief Justice Kitili Mwendwa and Mutiso, among others, were identified as central conspirators in the putsch. The head of the military and the Chief Justice were, however, not tried. Vacation of their offices was deemed ample punishment.

Fortuitously, Kenyatta had opportunity to decapitate key Kamba leaders from national leadership. The 13 indictees had the treason charge substituted with sedition.

The trial was held in two phases. Mutiso was brought to court alone after the first bunch
were processed. His trial took one day. He was pressured to admit that he was the Chairman of the Revolutionary Council and had scripted the speech that J.M. Ndolo would read upon ascendancy to the presidency.

Mutiso earned a nine-and-half year term at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison instead of the death penalty had he been charged with treason. Upon release from prison, he was prevailed upon by the people of Yatta to represent them. They had missed him due to a sad interruption from Nairobi.

In 1988, he was re-elected and served until his retirement from politics in 1997. Up to date, he remains the longest serving MP in Yatta constituency.

Mutiso's departure marks the closure of service by the first generation of MPs from South Eastern Kenya. Together with John David Kali, former Embakasi MP (1920-1997), they are regional and national political giants.

Kali earned the then rare distinction of being detained by both the colonial and post-colonial government. Mutiso's illustrious political career therefore stands tall. His dedication to the cause of freedom, nationalism and service to workers and the people of Yatta and Kenya is exemplary.

After retirement, he decided to engage in community and church service, and keep to himself only being available to his spouse, other family, relatives and very close friends.

Those who sought interviews from him about his rich life were sent away empty handed. He chose to keep his life's travails to himself.

Kenya mourns a great man; a real hero deserving a state funeral. I wish to convey to Mrs Pauline Mutiso, family and the people of Yatta my deepest condolences on the passing of a titan. May God rest Mzee in eternity.

Prof Kibwana is Constituitional law scholar and immediate former Makueni