In the wake of the 1982 attempted Coup, junior officers of the Kenya Airforce had planned to bomb State House and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
However, the plans were foiled by senior pilots of the disciplined forces who used their wit to outsmart the junior officers who were trying to take control of the country from President Daniel Arap Moi.
In an interview aired on Thursday, December 16, Captain Chris Kariuki revealed how two fighter jets had been loaded with explosives and were targetting the President's official residence, adding that the pilots later directed the bombs to Mt Kenya.
"The A5s came to Nairobi and what the coup guys were trying to do and they had armed them is to come and bomb State House and KBC but the guys who came did a few passes and dropped the bombs in Mt Kenya," Kariuki revealed.
Additionally, he disclosed that the pilots, who were unaware of the attempted coup, were picked from their houses and held at gunpoint by the junior officers.
"They were being held under gunpoint as the junior officers were sitting in the rear seat of the A5 Fighter Jet. They just did some maneuvers and confused the guys over Nairobi, dropped the bombs, and came back and landed.
"They came back and stated that they had done it. The whole thing could have changed very very badly," the pilot stated.
The former Airforce pilot stated that he was lucky not to have participated in the coup as he was living with his wife at a hotel and those leading the coup did not know where he was.
"What they did in the morning is that they sent land rovers to the officers’ houses. I lived in a hotel and not in a military house, but anybody who lived in a military house were taken. They also did not collect me because I used to drive myself," he narrated.
Kariuki added that the coup was foiled by the Kenya Army since its officers were well prepared to handle any eventuality and had carried out a battle drill a day before the attempted take over of the government by the junior officers.
"The coup was being carried out by very junior officers and was led by a corporal, Hezekiah Ochuka. So all of his team were of the same rank. They went to the armory and got guns before proceeding to houses of officers to take them away,” the pilot narrated.
Kariuki later joined Kenya Airways as a pilot and retired in December.
