The death of former Nyandarua North MP JM Kariuki caused drama in parliament. One of the high-ranking casualties of the fire that engulfed parliament after JM’s body was discovered at City Mortuary was former President Daniel Moi.
The death was disclosed by a telephone call to JM’s third wife. The caller was an unknown ‘Israeli businessman’ who asked Mrs. Terry Kariuki to check for her husband at City Mortuary after he went missing for ten days.
The caller asked, “Have you checked whether your husband is lying in the morgue?”
When told that they had done so twice, he directed them to recheck then disconnected.
“Just check again!”
Mrs Kariuki alerted her two co-wives Mwikali and Nyambura. They went to the mortuary as directed and were shown a partially decomposed body brought in by police the previous night. They identified him as he still had green jacket and a dotted red scarf he wore the day he went missing. A right thigh birthmark on the body was another assurance that JM was gone for good.
The three went to parliament and informed MPs that JM had been killed. The late MP Martin Shikuku mobilized other MPs and went to confirm the death.
The then Vice-President Daniel arap Moi found himself in hot soup when he tried to cool the tempers in the house.
As he spoke he was answered, “Shut up liar! You’re a government of murderers!” this forced him and cabinet ministers to flee parliament, removed flags on their vehicles and ran home.
The plot to silence JM was largely masterminded in Nakuru. One of the people who alerted JM about the looming danger was former Nakuru Town MP Mark Mwithaga.
His 'Kenya had become a country of 10 millionaires and 10 million beggars!' remarks were among issues that irked certain quarters.
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