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The Enigmatic Assassination of J.M. Kariuki: A Legacy of Courage and Controversy

As we usher in the 49th anniversary of J.M. Kariuki's state-sponsored murder, we would do well to remember where  we have come from as a country...because  we are fast headed back there. Josiah Mwangi Kariuki,  renowned for his fearless stance against government corruption and social injustices, met a tragic end in March 1975. His mysterious assassination remains one of the most enigmatic and controversial events in Kenya's history, leaving behind a legacy of courage, controversy, and unanswered questions. Born in 1929, J.M. rose to prominence as a vocal critic of the government of President Jomo Kenyatta. His impassioned speeches and tireless advocacy for the rights of ordinary Kenyans earned him widespread admiration and respect, but also made him a target of powerful forces within the establishment. On the night of 1 March 1975, Kariuki was last seen leaving a nightclub in Nairobi. It would be the last time he was seen alive. In the days that followed, his disappearance sent

It's silly season at State House, Nairobi

After missing from blogosphere for the better part of last week due to acute viral nasopharyngitis, I'm glad to be back. Thankfully, Siasa Duni watchmen are more immune than yours truly, and a few of their stories caught caught my eye. Particularly this one. What a group of silies we're dealing with, really...



















The Kenyan peace talks are in tatters after it was discovered that Kofi Annan's hotel room in Nairobi has been bugged.

It is now clear from multiple reliable, impartial sources - both in Kenya and abroad - that the former UN Secretary General's business and personal conversations were being intercepted during the ongoing negotiations after a thorough search was carried out on his Serena Hotel room on Tuesday evening. For how long the room has been planted or by whom is unclear. "Kofi's security aides found the device yesterday," one source explained, while the talks were in session. Annan is said to be "livid", but it is not yet known how he intends to act on Tuesday night's revelations or whether he will walk away from the already troubled negotiations.

Annan arrived in the Kenyan capital on January 15 on an African Union (AU) invitation to head up the talks around Mwai Kibaki's disputed election victory. He was joined by Graca Machel and the former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, under the banner of the Panel of Prominent African Personalities. Together they brought members of both sides of the political divide to the table at the Serena Hotel, where Annan was also staying. Athough a breakthrough had been announced last Friday, when a four-point framework was agreed upon to curb the violence and address the December 27 poll, Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continued to wage a war of words on the sidelines.

News of the bugging comes just 24 hours after Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew as the intended chief negotiator when the government of Kibaki made it be known that they would not trust the South African's intervention. Ramaphosa was not the first South African to receive his walking papers. Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu's efforts to broker a deal last month were also met with a luke-warm reaction.

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