Robert Ouko (politician)

Last updated

In March 2003 the newly elected government of Mwai Kibaki opened a new investigation into Ouko's death to be conducted by a parliamentary select committee. During the course of the committee's deliberations several members of parliament publicly condemned the manner of its proceedings. Some left the committee and along with others who remained declared that they would not endorse its findings. Domenico Airaghi and Marianne Briner-Mattern agreed to testify on condition that they would not be cross-examined (something they had avoided during Troon's investigation, the Public Inquiry and the further investigation by the Kenyan police) and Nicholas Biwott was not allowed to call witnesses on his behalf or cross-examine or address other witnesses.

The Select Committee, however, did not complete its work. It was disbanded in 2005 on the grounds of 'interference' in its deliberations just as Nicholas Biwott was beginning his testimony to it. The (incomplete) report of the 'Select Committee Investigating Circumstances Leading to the Death of the Late Dr. The Hon. Robert John Ouko, EGH, MP' was never debated in the Kenyan House of Assembly, or put to a vote. [46] [47]

Personal life

Robert Ouko was married to Christabel Ouko. [48] He had three sons, named Ken, Charlie, Andrew; and four daughters: Winnie, Susan, Lilian, and Carol. [49] Robert Ouko also had a daughter (born May 1983) by a Miss Herine Violas Ogembo, a relationship that lasted until his death. [50]

In 2010, a fundraiser was held to build the Robert Ouko Memorial Community Library in Koru. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel arap Moi</span> President of Kenya from 1988 to 2002

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the third vice president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President Jomo Kenyatta, becoming the president following the latter's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya African National Union</span> Political party in Kenya

The Kenya African National Union (KANU) is a Kenyan political party that ruled for nearly 40 years after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 until its electoral loss in 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union (KAU) from 1944 but due to pressure from the colonial government, KAU changed its name to Kenya African Study Union (KASU) mainly because all political parties were banned in 1939 following the start of the Second World War. In 1946 KASU rebranded itself into KAU following the resignation of Harry Thuku as president due to internal differences between the moderates who wanted peaceful negotiations and the militants who wanted to use force, the latter forming the Aanake a forty, which later became the Mau Mau. His post was then occupied by James Gichuru, who stepped down for Jomo Kenyatta in 1947 as president of KAU. The KAU was banned by the colonial government from 1952 to 1960. It was re-established by James Gichuru in 1960 and renamed KANU on 14 May 1960 after a merger with Tom Mboya's Kenya Independence Movement.

The Goldenberg scandal was a political scandal where the Kenyan government was found to have subsidised exports of gold far beyond standard arrangements during the 1990s, by paying the company Goldenberg International 35% more than their foreign currency earnings. Although it notionally appears that the scheme was intended to earn hard currency for the country, it is estimated to have cost Kenya the equivalent of more than 10% of the country's annual gross domestic product, and it is possible that no or minimal amounts of gold were actually exported. The scandal appears to have involved political corruption at the highest levels of the government of Daniel Arap Moi. Officials in the former government of Mwai Kibaki have also been implicated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith Hempstone</span> American diplomat

Smith Hempstone was a journalist, author, and the United States ambassador to Kenya from 1989 to 1993. He was a vocal proponent of democracy, advocating free elections for Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Biwott</span> Kenyan politician (1944–2017)

Nicholas Kipyator Kiprono arap Biwott was a Kenyan businessman, politician, and philanthropist, who worked in the governments of the fathers of Kenyan independence, Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi. He held eight senior civil servant and ministerial positions that included Minister of State (1979–82), Minister of Energy (1963), Minister of East African and Regional Co-operation (1998–99) and Minister of Regional Development, Science, and Technology (1982).

Jonah Anguka is a Kenyan author and former District Commissioner at Nakuru, known as the only person to date to have been tried for the murder of Dr Robert Ouko, Kenya's Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was shot dead on 13 February 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kisumu County</span> County in Kenya

Kisumu County is one of 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Its borders follow those of the original Kisumu District, one of the former administrative districts of the former Nyanza Province in western Kenya. Its headquarters is Kisumu City which is the third largest city in Kenya after the capital Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. It has a population of 1,155,574. The land area of Kisumu County totals 2085.9 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mwiraria</span> Kenyan politician

David (Daudi) Mwiraria was the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources and previously Finance Minister of Kenya until December 2007 when Kenya held its General Elections. Running for re election on a Party of National Unity ticket, defending his seat as Member of parliament for North Imenti Constituency, he was defeated by Silas Muriuki, who was running on a Mazingira Green Party of Kenya ticket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Saitoti</span> 6th Vice President of Kenya

George Musengi Saitoti, E.G.H. was a Kenyan politician, businessman and American- and British-trained economist, mathematician and development policy thinker.

Hezekiah Oyugi was head of internal security for the Republic of Kenya in 1990 when Foreign Minister Robert Ouko was murdered. Both he and energy minister Nicholas Biwott were named as "principal suspects" in the crime, by a British investigator during a commission of inquiry. Both were arrested but freed after two weeks for lack of evidence.

Eisha Stephen Atieno Odhiambo (1945 – 25 February 2009)) was a Kenyan academic born in Muhoroni, known for his contributions to the understanding of dangers inherent in politics of knowledge and sociology of power. Dr Odhiambo was professor of history at Rice University in the United States, where he led in the study of cultures. He was educated at Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Julie Ward</span> 1988 death in Masai Mara, Kenya

Julie Ward was a British woman who was killed whilst on safari in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya in September 1988. The subsequent investigation into her death was notable for the campaign by her father, John Ward — firstly to persuade the Kenyan authorities to recognise that his daughter was murdered, and secondly to try to identify the killer or killers. Three people were charged with her murder, although none have been convicted.

Kisumu Rural Constituency was a former electoral constituency in Kenya. It was one of three constituencies of Kisumu District. The constituency was established for the 1963 elections. The constituency had eight wards, all of which elected councillors for Kisumu County Council.

Koru is a small town centre in Kisumu County, Kenya, Africa. It forms an electoral ward of Muhoroni Constituency and Muhoroni town council. Koru is also a location in the Muhoroni division. It is at an elevation of 1540m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Ndolo Ayah</span> Kenyan politician

Wilson Ndolo Ayah was a Kenyan politician. He served as Foreign Minister from 1990 to 1993 during Kenya's return to a multi-party system of governance. Wilson Ndolo Ayah served in the government of Daniel Arap Moi as minister from 18 August 1987 when he was first appointed Minister for Research Science and Technology. He was also a beneficiary of the Kennedy Airlifts.

Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) was established in 2008. Kenya's modern history has been marked not only by liberation struggles but also by ethnic conflicts, semi-despotic regimes, marginalization and political violence, including the 1982 attempted coup d'état, the Shifta War, and the 2007 post-election violence.

The Gor Sungu Commission was a Kenya Parliamentary Select Committee investigating circumstances leading to the death of the late Dr. Robert Ouko.

John Henry Okullu was a Kenyan Anglican bishop and theologian.

George Luchiri Wajackoyah is a legal practitioner based in Nairobi, Kenya, and an independent political campaigner. Wajackoyah was also a presidential candidate in Kenya's 2022 general election held on 9 August 2022. He ran under the Roots Party of Kenya, which supports the legalisation of bhang in Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Daudi Afande</span> Kenyan diplomat (1937–2021)

Denis Daudi Afande (1937-2021) was a long-serving career Kenyan diplomat who held eight ambassadorial positions during his career. A consummate Diplomat, Afande joined the public service at Kenya's Independence (1964). He served as Kenya's Deputy Chief of Protocol under founding President Jomo Kenyatta and chief of protocol under President Danial arap Moi. He later served as Kenya's ambassador to Washington (1988-1994), the United Nations Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

References

  1. Robert Ouko 'killed in Kenya State House' BBC
  2. "'The Nation' 22/12/2010". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 The Standard, 13 February 2009: Ouko murder mystery persists [ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 Daily Nation, 4 October 2009: Ouko library a fitting tribute to ex-minister who loved books
  5. Centre for Multiparty Democracy: Politics and Parliamentarians in Kenya 1944–2007 Archived 28 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Troon's Final Report paragraph 32 see
  7. "Troons Final Report Para 33" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  8. "Troons Final report para 236".
  9. "Troons Final report para 246" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  10. "Troons Final report para 38".
  11. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017.
  12. Toates, Philip. "Troons Final Report para 258" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  13. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  14. 1 2 Randiak, Dorothy (2 March 1990). "First witness Statement" . Retrieved 8 August 2013 via Kenya Document Exchange.
  15. Randiak, Dorothy (27 March 1990). "Second Witness Statement" . Retrieved 8 August 2013 via Kenya Document Exchange.
  16. "Troons Final Report para 119" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  17. "Troons Final report para 127" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  18. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  19. Para 122 see here
  20. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  21. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  22. Troon, John. "Preliminary Report paras101-2".
  23. "Troons Final Report para 142" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  24. "Troons Final Report para 217" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  25. Randiak, Dorothy (11 April 1990). "Third Witness Statement" . Retrieved 8 August 2013 via Kenya Document Exchange.
  26. "Civil and Criminal Court of Milan 13th April 1987".
  27. "Domenico Airaghi: Summary charge" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  28. "Transcript of Judicial Inquiry dated 21 November 1991".
  29. "Two Photographs of President Moi with President Bush Snr". January 1990.
  30. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  31. "Kenya Police, Report on Further Investigations into the Disappearance and Subsequent Death of the Late Hon. Dr Robert John Ouko".
  32. "Witness statement of Christabel Ouko". 13 March 1990.
  33. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  34. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  35. "Civil and Criminal Court of Milan". 13 April 1987.
  36. "Civil and Criminal Court of Milan".
  37. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  38. "Civil and Criminal Court of Milan".
  39. "Civil and Criminal Court of Milan".
  40. "Milan Court of Appeal 4 April 1991".
  41. "Swiss Handelsregister dated 13.2.1990" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  42. "Murder at Got Alila". Who killed Dr Robert Ouko?..and Why?. WPMS/INCA/CitizenTV.
  43. "Malaga Company Register" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  44. "Kenya Police, Report on Further Investigations into the Disappearance and Subsequent Death of the Late Hon. Dr Robert John Ouko" . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  45. Jonah Anguka: "How I was framed over Ouko murder". Archived from the original on 2 September 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  46. Gitau wa Njenga (23 February 2005). "Ouko Was Tortured, Shot Dead - Troon". allAfrica. London. The Standard. Retrieved 27 May 2023. (subscription required)
  47. Lucas Barasa (3 March 2005). "Biwott's Testimony On the Ouko Killing". allAfrica. Nairobi. Daily Nation. Retrieved 27 May 2023. (subscription required)
  48. The Standard website, 13 February 2009: 19 years on, Ouko killers still at large [ permanent dead link ]
  49. The Standard, 8 August 2009: Ouko family to construct a memorial library
  50. "Troon's 'Final Report', paras 120 to 124".
Robert Ouko
Robert Ouko 1981.jpg
Ouko in 1981
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
1988–1990