Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi on Thursday recounted details of a planned bomb attack against departed politician Kenneth Matiba as he gave tribute during his memorial service held at the Ihura Stadium, Murang'a County.
"I am one of those who walked part of the journey with Kenneth. That speech which Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia read was drafted by three lawyers - Paul Muite, Gibson Kamau Kuria and Kiraitu Murungi.
"I'd have liked Dr John Khaminwa to speak today if he had been here because he saved Matiba's life. There was a day Matiba was to be blown up in Nairobi and it is Khaminwa, a lawyer then, who knew the details and foiled the attempts," the Meru Governor relayed, regretting that the time allotted to him was not sufficient to retell the story.
The incident was confirmed by the departed politician's wife, Edith Matiba, in a 2013 interview she gave to Daily Nation.
[caption caption="Raila Odinga arriving for Matiba's memorilal service at Ihura Stadium with wife Ida"]
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"There was another attempt on his life when somebody was told to plant a bomb under his car but the person refused," she recounted.
Mrs Matiba maintains that her husband had been a close and personal friend of former President Daniel Arap Moi and the fall out that led to his detention remains a question in her mind.
"That particular day, there were some buses that had been given to Kenya and Moi was going to commission them outside the GPO and Ken was supposed to be there. So while they were waiting for Ken, the letter came and Moi was told that Ken had resigned.
"He was detained later. Why would Moi turn so hard on so close a personal friend?" she posed.
During the interview, Edith outlined how she and her family were harassed by police on a night when they raided his Limuru home.
"About 10 men came into the room. They asked: 'Where is Mr Matiba?' I told them he had gone to Mombasa. So they looked under the bed, and everywhere.
"The man crossed the room and pulled the drawer, knife in hand. His accomplice was standing next to me and he had a small axe. He hit me here (her skull). The blood shot out," her narration relayed in part.
[caption caption="Kenneth Matiba's widow Edith (centre) accompanied by grandson during the former politician's memorial service on April 25, 2018"]
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