James Njagi Njiru: The short-tempered man who had the President’s ear

James Njiru.  [Standard Archives]

In his autobiography, Troubled But Not Destroyed, Rev David Gitari, who was the Anglican Bishop of Mt Kenya East Diocese, recounted a violent clash between James Njagi Njiru and his political rival, Nahashon Njuno. Gitari claimed Njuno narrowly escaped death when Njiru attempted to shoot him with a pistol in a bar in Kutus Town in Kirinyaga. The two MPs had disagreed over where the district KANU party headquarters should be.

According to Gitari, Njiru found his fellow MP having drinks with colleagues and shot at him, but the bullet missed its target. A frightened Njuno and his friends ran for dear life in every direction. “The matter was investigated by police but to the best of my knowledge, no action was taken against Njiru,” wrote Gitari.