Beyond Politics: A Conversation with Kiraitu Murungi
By Njeri
Rugene (published July 23, 2021)
Reviewed by
Margaretta wa Gacheru
Njeri Rugeni might consider coming out with a series of ‘tell all’ conversations with senior Kenyan politicians like Kiraitu Murungi whose book was just launched last Monday at Serena Hotel ironically entitled ‘Beyond Politics’.
This
award-winning veteran political journalist knows most local politicians on a
first-name basis after 25 years of covering them either as a Parliamentary
reporter and editor, Coast Regional Bureau Chief, or Senior Content Editor at Daily
Nation’s central News Desk. And with her knowledge, experience, and incisive
style of interviewing, Njeri now has an excellent illustration of why
politicians need a book featuring ‘a conversation’ with Njeri.
Setting her
sights on the current Governor of Meru County might seem a surprising place to
begin. But the COVID-19 lockdown had already begun when Kiraitu finally agreed
to a series of interviews (leading to the book) that Njeri had initially
proposed sometime back.
Beyond her
decades in journalism, she had already come out with her first book profiling
professional women entitled “Women Changing the Way the World Works.” So why
not follow that up with ‘a conversation’ with one male politician whose career
she had followed since the 1990s when Kiraitu was among the ‘Young Turks’ who
spearheaded the Second Liberation which led to dismantling Daniel arap Moi’s
single-party state.
The book
itself reflects not only Njeri’s encyclopedic knowledge of the man but also
Kiraitu as not simply a Harvard-trained human rights lawyer turned politician
who rose from being a rural MP to a Cabinet Minister (twice), Senator, and
finally the current Meru County Governor.
Their
conversation ranges far ‘beyond politics’ to include Kiraitu’s views on
everything from Stoic philosophers like Lucius Seneca and Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s
thoughts on decolonizing people’s minds to BBI and Kenya politics generally.
But perhaps,
the most engaging feature of their conversation is Kiraitu’s telling his side
of stories, such as the scandals that momentarily scared his name, including
his alleged role in Anglo-Leasing and his inept paraphrasing of Okot p’Bitek’s
sexist line from Song of Ocol that nearly got him scalped by women who
had once considered him their ally, but no more.
‘Beyond
Politics’ reveals as much about Njeri’s straight-forward and well-researched style
of interviewing which is poignant, punchy, and unabashed, as it does about
Kiraitu who is equally open to responding to every issue she raises.
One of the
central queries that Njeri hammers home is why he as a former Minister of
Justice and Constitutional Affairs, didn’t fulfill his promise to end
corruption with his so-called ‘radical surgery’. There was the issue of his having
to stand down from the office for nine months while the accusations against
him, made by anti-corruption ‘czar’ John Githongo (who Kiraitu himself had
appointed) could be investigated.
Kiraitu was
eventually cleared of all the charges and restored to Kibaki’s Cabinet, now as
Minister for Energy. But the smell of smoke never quite cleared.
Yet Kiraitu
is philosophical about what people say or falsely believe. He could still site
all the genuine successes he achieved during his seven years serving as Energy
CS, like bringing electricity to one million rural Kenyans and expanding
indigenous energy sources like geothermal, coal, and even oil which was
discovered in Turkana during his time as Minister.
The book
isn’t an apologist account, explaining all the ways Kiraitu was victimized by
political enemies. But he admits he hasn’t had an easy time, especially during
his days working for President Kibaki and all the times when ethnic politics
interfered with the democratic process.
But even as
Minister of Justice, he had several successes before Anglo-Leasing and other
scandals broke out and blemished his name.
Having
promised that ‘radical surgery’ to remove corruption from the courts, he says
he at least was able to remove “76 magistrates,12 judges of the High Court and
four judges from the Court of Appeal.”
The other
bonus of this book is that it gives us a bird’s eye view into Kiraitu’s
personal and family life. How he came from a peasant background (with a Mau Mau
freedom fighter for a dad) to becoming first in his classes at Alliance and
University of Nairobi School of Law. We learn how his Meru ‘lisp’ led to his
becoming a bookworm and one of the most eloquent speakers in Parliament. We
even learn about his family and wife Priscilla who nearly left him after he
decided to join politics and ‘change the system’ from within. But once she
understood his intentions, she’s become his staunchest supporter and ally.