Former teacher remembers last days with JM Kariuki

At the time of his death, JM was a millionaire. It is not clear how he amassed his fortune so quickly without somehow engaging in the same vice he so strongly criticised. His family did not benefit from his wealth as his political enemies conspired against them.

“I was his lawyer, and I can tell you JM was not immensely wealthy -- not in the terms that we know today of immense wealth among some people ... But his heart was connected with the poor,” Mr Mindo said. Before venturing into politics, JM had served as the personal secretary to Mzee Kenyatta. The fallout started over JM’s strong views against the way the President was running the government.

After independence, the British Government gave the Kenyatta Government funds to buy back land from the white settlers and redistribute it to Kenyans. However, the redistribution was skewed, and much of the land was handed out to the local political elite.