Mark Mwithaga: A man with influence beyond prison bars
The late Mark Mwithaga.
At the age of 23, former Member of Parliament for Nakuru town, the late Mark Mwithaga became the first Kenya African National Union (KANU) Nakuru District Chairman.
This was a stepping stone to him becoming a Member of Parliament.
But in March 1975, everything took a turn when Josiah Mwangi (JM) Kariuki died in what has always been deduced as an assassination.
Being a close confidant to the late JM Kariuki, he became the vice chair of the inquiry committee that was tasked to probe the murder. Mwithaga would stop at nothing to get to the truth of the matter.
The road to unmasking the truth of what happened was indeed treacherous and one that left more questions than answers.
Upon tabling the report in Parliament, Mwithaga is reported to have said that the biggest challenge they faced was cover up by some members of the police service.
Issues such as witness tampering where witnesses were threatened if they ever came out to speak on the matter of JM's death was also a challenge. Reports indicated that witnesses would be taken to Karura Forest and be threatened.
Adding on to their sorrows, Elijah Ngugi who was a political rival of JM Kariuki was summoned before the committee but time and time again he never appeared.
Mbiyu Koinange, who was Kenyatta's Minister of Finance, was a person of interest in the matter but his name was omitted from those to be investigated.
During Mwithaga’s requiem mass, Koigi Wa Wamwere who saw him as a political mentor, narrated how when Mwithaga went to present the report on the probe of JM's assassination to the founding father, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the former president wanted to take a photo with the committee but Mwithaga refused to be in it.
Jomo Kenyatta in a polite way managed to get him to take the photo.
One of the most interesting parts of Mwithaga's history, is how he managed to win parliamentary elections while in jail in August 1975, making him the first ever Kenyan to win a seat while serving time.
Upon winning the election while in Kamiti Prison, he could not sign the acceptance papers after prisons officials with orders from above, declined to let his wife hand him the papers, leading to a by election.
While in jail, Mwithaga managed to pull strings and use the support of his family to get his candidate William Komen to become the Member of Parliament.
When Moi took over power in 1979 and restructured the political landscape in the Rift Valley, Mwithaga again managed to clinch the Nakuru Town Constituency seat.
The veteran politician had been charged with assaulting his ex-wife 20 months prior, damaging her pullover and nightdress worth Sh 225.