Details have emerged on the activities that preceded former Labour and Economic Planning Minister Tom Mboya's death in 1969 which could have contributed to his murder.

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Though the blame of his assassination has since landed on one Nahashon Njenga, Fitz De Souza, who was then President Jomo Kenyatta's lawyer, suggests the plot to kill Mboya might have been hatched from State House.

He recalls how the President had been bitter with Mboya prior to his death accusing him (Mboya) of humiliating him before his guests at a function in State House.

According to De Souza, Mboya had proceeded to lead Kenyatta by the hand and introduce him to his own guests, international VIP guests, including Pandit Nehru but humiliated him in the process.

He says that Kenyatta was not happy with how his junior was treating him, as his actions suggested that the President did not know the people he had personally invited.

He recalls how Kenyatta grit his teeth throughout the introduction session but kept calm, adding that Kenyatta the next day confessed to him that he badly wanted to crush him (Mboya).

"The following day, I found Kenyatta in a foul temper, calling Tom Mboya all the names under the sun, saying how he wanted to crush him, and to emphasise the point, grinding his foot into the floor. A moment later, the door opened and Tom walked in. Kenyatta immediately smiled, greeting him warmly and heartily like a long-lost friend. Once again I thought, what a fantastic actor!" recounted the lawyer.

De Souza says that he was among the persons who were around during the assassination of Mboya along Government road on July 5, 1969.

The murder was succeeded by tension and some riot across the nation for a few days.

Njenga told the court to also go for 'the big man' after he was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang but it has never been established who he was referring to.

He was later hanged in December 1969, according to prison officials.

De Souza claims that Mboya had also been aware of murder plots of founding Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's confident of Goa roots Pio Gama Pinto who was also murdered by assassins four years earlier.