West ‘pushed for Ouko presidency’

The clamour by Western countries to have a say in the country’s leadership could have led to the murder of former Foreign Affairs minister Robert Ouko, a parliamentary report indicates.

The findings by a House select committee that inquired into the death of Dr Ouko shows it received evidence that showed that the United States had urged then President Daniel arap Moi to let his Foreign Affairs minister steer the country out of corruption.

Similarly, the report states that the United Kingdom had, in 1988, urged Mr Moi to ensure that the late Ouko was re-elected with a view to succeeding him when he gets out of power.

The select committee was of the opinion that Mr Moi and his inner circle must have been led to believe that his then Foreign Affairs minister was seeking external support to become the President of Kenya.

“The committee is of the considered view that misconstrued perception by the Kenya leadership, that Dr R J Ouko was seeking foreign support to accede to the presidency would be sufficiently supported as a motive to cause his death,” the report stated.

The report, which was released five years after the committee chaired by former Kisumu Town East MP Gor Sungu sat, indicated that the evidence was given by Superintendent John Troon of the Scotland Yard, Mr Barrack Mbajah, a brother to Dr Ouko and Mr James Onyango K’Oyoo.

Dr Ouko was killed in February 1990 and his charred remains were found in Got Alila on February 16, 1990 in circumstances that pointed a finger to those in government at the time.

The three witnesses told the committee that during a meeting in Washington DC in late January 1990, then US President George Bush (Snr) urged Mr Moi to vacate State House and allow Dr Ouko to take over and fight corruption that had reached untold limits at the time.

“The committee, recommends that the government investigates the above (evidence) with a view to ascertaining their being the circumstances leading to the death of Dr R J Ouko,” states the report.