List of professors who teamed up to back Moi re-election

In November 1991, Cabinet minister William ole Ntimama arranged a meeting at State House between President Moi and three lecturers from Kenyatta University — Dr Eric Aseka, Dr Henry Mwanzi and Dr Mosonik arap Korir.

The meeting was held at the height of the clamour for multiparty democracy and President Moi was appreciative of any advice on how to tackle the issue.

Though opposed to the movement for multiparty politics, President Moi caved in due to local and international pressure.

But as the anti-government wave grew, the three lecturers had come to the notice of the President for their steadfast criticism of the opposition in their biting opinions in public newspapers.

“At that meeting, we told Moi that the battle against the Opposition was an intellectual one and as such could be won through intellectual means. Moi was very pleased with our courage and readiness to serve Kanu. That established the support that the State gave us,” Aseka, now the vice-chancellor at International Leadership University, a Catholic church institution based in Nairobi, said.

This meeting formed the basis for the recruitment of a sizeable number of lecturers from the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Moi University, into Youth for Kanu lobby group, popularly known as YK’92.

The lecturers came to the fore when the group’s chairman, Mr Cyrus Jirongo, tapped Dr Aseka, then a history lecturer at Kenyatta University, to be YK’s first spokesman.

“I joined YK out of anger. I was angered that just after the fall of the Berlin Wall (in 1989), the opposition was aligning itself with imperialists by allowing themselves to be directed by foreign ambassadors in Kenya. I felt they had abandoned their ideals,” he said.

Dr Mosonik later became a commissioner with the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC). He passed away in 2009.

Prof Mwanzi did not respond to our requests for an interview or comment on his participation in YK’92.

However, in his Curriculum Vitae, which is posted in Kenyatta University’s website, under community work, he indicates that “I worked for Kanu and former President Moi 1991-2002.”

Prof Aseka said he knew Jirongo through his younger brother Bill with whom they were schoolmates at Mangu High School. 

As the chairman of YK’92, Jirongo tasked him with setting up the group’s branches countrywide.

He said Jirongo gave him Sh500,000 for this exercise and picked Dr George Namaswa and Dr Amukowa Anangwe, both of Kenyatta University, as his assistants.

SMEAR CAMPAIGN

The latter was the MP for Butere constituency from 1997 to 2002 and a Cabinet minister for Planning under President Moi. He is currently a lecturer at The University of Dodoma, Tanzania.

Prof Aseka travelled with his team across the country setting up branches.

After the task was over, he was put in charge of a think-tank within the group called “Operation Toroitich 2,000 or “Operation T. 2,000”.

The group was made up of lecturers and its main aim was to strategise on how President Moi would win not only the 1992 General Election but also the 1997 one.

One wing of the group that was to gain particular notoriety was organised around veteran journalist Jeremire Araka.

This group produced “Kanu Briefs”, which were basically dirty, often unfounded smears about the leading Opposition leaders, which were published every Friday in the Kenya Times, the defunct newspaper, which was owned by Kanu.

Mr Araka was the managing director of Kenya Times. He is now a professor at St Augustine University of Tanzania.

Some of the notable members of “Operation T. 2000” were Prof George Godia, Prof James Kulubi and Pastor Robert Ayonga — all from Moi University.

Prof Godia did data research for the group while Prof Kulubi computerised their operations. Pastor Ayonga, according to Prof Aseka, provided “spiritual nourishment”.  

Prof Kulubi rose to become the vice-chancellor of Multi-Media University. He denied ever being a member of the group. “I just did one presentation for them,” he said.

Pastor Ayonga is currently the assistant dean of students at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UoN.

Prof Godia is Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations Cultural, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

Due to the conflict with his work, Prof Aseka resigned from his post at “Operation T. 2000” and set up another specialised unit that was tasked with producing highly charged articles in the press.

“We would book space in leading media houses to publish our opinion pieces unedited. And due to our work, people saw the confusion in the Opposition,” he said. The group was based at Maki Apartments in Hurlingham.

Other members of this specialised group were Prof Fredrick Onyango of UoN and Prof Joseph Ojiambo of Moi University.

Prof Ojiambo was the deputy Vice-Chancellor at Kabianga University until his death in September last year. He denied being a substantive member of the group. Before his death he told this writer: “I just did a few consultancies for them.”

Prof Aseka said the think-tank was facilitated by former Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae and he has no apologies for being a member.

“To criminalise us is to destroy the reputation of innocent people. Why has DP (Democratic Party), which had their Young Democrats, not been criticised as us?” he poses.

CRAFTING A MANIFESTO
Prof Aseka was succeeded at “Operation T. 2000” by Prof Chris Wanjala, the renowned literature scholar of the University of Nairobi.

Prof Wanjala, then an Egerton University lecturer, says he knew little of Kanu politics and much less YK’92 until he was picked to be one of their two keynote speakers during its launch in March 1992.

“Two days before the launch, somebody from YK called our vice-chancellor Musangi (Prof Richard Musangi) and told him that they wanted me to speak at the event. I really had no idea what it was all about and I was afraid. Matiang'i (Fred Matiang’i, the current Education Cabinet Secretary) was a member of my department and I asked him to accompany me to Nairobi.

They booked us at Hilton Hotel. Somebody came to the hotel in the evening to brief me about my role. He said ‘you are a literary critic, so be as critical in your speech as possible.’ And so I did,” he said. 

However, his association with the group was to bring him into problems with his village mate and powerful opposition politician Masinde Muliro.

Soon after its official launch, Muliro brought up the issue of Wanjala’s presence in the group during an opposition political rally in Nakuru.  

“He talked very negatively about Kanu and YK. He further said that there was a young man from his village who had been lured by money to join the group.

“I knew he meant me and I was very disturbed. That was not what I had in mind. I looked for him and his wife to explain myself but they declined to see me,” he said. 

Soon after delivering his speech, he moved to UoN and left for the United States of America on an exchange programme.

However, a month later he got a letter from UoN’s vice-chancellor Prof Philip Mbithi informing him that he had to come back.

“Mr Joseph Kimkung met me at the airport. He told me that my name had been maligned so badly by Muliro and so I should forget about joining Ford. I had to work for Kanu and YK,” he said.

Prof Wanjala was tasked with coming up with a training manual for YK’92 and later the group’s manifesto.

“I remember all the ministers were present during the event and what stands out today is President Moi saying the manifesto was the most progressive campaign document he had ever seen,” he said.

SWEATNESS OF POWER

However, his presence in YK got him into trouble with the university when the group was unceremoniously disbanded by President Moi in June 1993.

When he returned to work, he was summoned by the university’s senate and asked to give reasons why he should not be fired for missing work for long.

“I told them I was doing a national duty and I should not be punished for it. And they heard my plea,” he said. Like many members of YK’92, he has no regrets joining the group.

“I believe that YK achieved its purpose. We brought the youth to the core of Kanu,” Prof Wanjala said.

“I also learned that power is sweet and that people can do anything to get and maintain it. I also learned that money is a very powerful thing if you have it,” he observed.

Other notable academics who joined YK’92 are Prof Oeri Tumbo, the former Principal of University of Nairobi’s Chiromo campus. He is an uncle of Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka.

Another one is Dr Ken Ouko, currently a lecturer in psychology at UoN. Both served in the group’s secretariat.

Other professionals who joined the group include lawyers Ken Omanga, currently the company secretary of Kenya Tea Development Authority, and Ms Alice Yano who later became a commissioner with CKRC.