After his murder by Nahashon Njenga on July 5, 1969, who later blamed the same on an unnamed 'big man', the blame of Tom Mboya's death landed on then President Jomo Kenyatta.
This doubled the political rivalry between Luos and Kikuyus which had began three years earlier after the fallout between Kenyatta and founding Vice President and his ex-ally Jaramogi Oginga.
Consequently, suspecting his hand in the killing, members of the Luo community declared that no Kikuyu should attend Mboya's funeral at the Holy Family Cathedral, including the president.
And with a made up mind hat he would not miss the funeral of his Labour and Economic Planning Minister, Kenyatta made sure that he attends the function which saw him send in the military.
Aware that there were chances of riot and violence, scores of police officers were also deployed, while the president himself arrived amidst a tight group of security men.
Mboya's friend Jeremiah Nyagah, landed in trouble and was almost lynched before Kenyatta's lawyer Fitz De Souza came to his rescue and convinced the crowd to spare him.
"There was quite a crowd, with Kenyans of all faiths coming to pay their respects. Among them was Jeremiah Nyagah, a great friend of Tom’s. But he was also a Kikuyu, and when some Luos spotted him, they lost control. Surrounding his car, they began banging on the windows, shouting abuses and threatening to kill him.
I rushed up and urged them to be calm, and that if they wanted to punish anyone, it should be whoever killed Tom," says Desouza in his new book Forward To Freedom.
And just as was expected, narrates the Goan, riots broke out immediately after the function, which the police responded to by lobbying teargas canisters.
The chaos, anger and violence formed the headlines of international news platforms the following day, showing police unleashing batons on the angry mourners.