One of the unsung heroes who ensured that legitimacy and order during the post-colonial periods prevails is the late Retired General Jackson Kimeu Mulinge.
General Mulinge saved the government from being overthrown twice during the regime of Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi.
The general thwarted the threat of military take-over that threatened the rule of former president Jomo Kenyatta in 1971. After Kenyatta was advised by top government and security official, he decided to arrest the then Chief of Staff and the organizer of the planned coup Major General Joseph Ndolo.
General Mulinge who was against that decision, warned the first Kenyan president that arresting the army boss could trigger a mutiny and spark a civil war. He also warned him that the police cannot be sent to arrest the head of the military because the soldiers could not let their boss humiliated in their presence.
Through his words, former president Kenyatta was able to summon Ndolo to State House and asked him for early retirement with a promise that no action would be taken against him.
During the attempted coup in 1982, Mulinge personally ordered the bombing of the Embakasi military communication unit to terminated any communication among the coup planners.
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