Koigi wa Wamwere (born 18 December 1949 in Rugongo,

Nakuru District Nakuru County is a county in Kenya. It is County number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan Counties. Nakuru County is a host to Kenya's Forth City – Nakuru City. On 1 December 2021, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded a City Charter status to Nakuru, ranki ...

) is a Kenyan politician, human rights activist, journalist and writer. Koigi became famous for opposing both the

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

and

Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...

regimes, both of whom sent him to detention.

Early life

Koigi's father, ''Wamwere'', hailed from

Kiambu District Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika. Kiambu County is the second most populous after Nairobi County. Kiambu County borders Nairobi and Kajiado Counties to the So ...

. However, in 1915, the British colonial government declared that all land in Kenya belong to the settlers. As a result, several

Kikuyu people The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The te ...

had their land taken away. Koigi's father (then aged 4) and his family were among the evicted and had to move to

Rift Valley Province Rift Valley Province ( sw, Mkoa wa Bonde la Ufa) of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the Kenyan general election, 2013. Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces i ...

, an area traditionally inhabited by

Maasai people The Maasai (; sw, Wamasai) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best-known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of t ...

. Koigi's mother ''Wangu'', escaped a forced marriage and ended up in Rift Valley, only to be forcefully married with his father. They had nine children, Koigi being the oldest. Koigi's father worked for the colonial forest department.I Refuse to Die: My Journey for Freedom
', Seven Stories Press (2003), Koigi was born in 1949 in Rugongo location, Bahati division, Nakuru District, Rift Valley Province. He went to Rugongo Primary School Koigi Wamwere went to Mother of Apostles seminary and later

Nyeri High School Nyeri High School, also known as Nyeri High, is a boys boarding school situated in Nyeri, Kenya near Mathari Consolata Mission Hospital, which provides secondary education as stipulated by the 8-4-4 Curriculum. Despite being acknowledged as an ac ...

.The Standard, 24 November 2002
Koigi: Man Of The People Or Enemy Of The State?
/ref> Wamwere excelled in school and received a scholarship to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in the United States in the early 70s, first becoming interested in politics during his studies there.

Political career

Without finishing studies in Hotel Management at Cornell University, Wamwere went back to Kenya. He began lecturing at the Jogoo Commercial College and also was a freelance journalist for the now defunct newspaper

Sunday Post ''The Sunday Post'' is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland, by DC Thomson, and characterised by a mix of news, human interest stories and short features. The paper was founded in 1914 and has a wide circulation across Scotland, N ...

. He ran for the Nakuru North Constituency (now Subukia Constituency) parliamentary seat in 1974, representing the KANU, the only legal political party then. The young Wamwere was defeated by seasoned Kihika Kimani, though only by 800 votes. He wrote an article that was critical of Jomo Kenyatta in the Sunday Post, and was subsequently detained in 1975 and held in prison for three years.Negative Ethnicity: From Bias to Genocide, Open Media (2003)
In December 1978, after Kenyatta had died, the new president

released Wamwere together with

Ngugi wa Thiong’o Ngugi or Ngũgĩ is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: *Ngugi wa Mirii (1951–2008), Kenyan playwright *Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (born 1938), Kenyan writer *David Mwaniki Ngugi, Kenyan politician and member of the National Assembly of Kenya *Jo ...

and

Martin Shikuku Joseph Martin Shikuku Oyondi (December 25, 1932– August 22, 2012) was a Kenyan politician. Spouse: Dolorosa Regina Elizabeth Achieng Shikuku: born 12 June 1942- Died 5 December 2004. Children: Sylvano Madanji Shikuku: Both 16 November 1966, Emm ...

.Daily Nation, 5 November 2007: Could the real Wamwere please stand up? (Commentary by William Ochieng) He was elected to the parliament in 1979 by winning the Nakuru North Constituency, this time defeating the incumbent MP Kihika Kimani. He teamed up with other radical and socialist politicians who were derogatorily named '' The Seven Bearded Sisters'' by

Charles Njonjo Charles Mugane Njonjo (23 January 1920 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan lawyer who served as Attorney General of Kenya from 1963 to 1979, and Minister of Constitutional Affairs and the member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency from 1980 to 1 ...

. Others were Abuya Abuya,

James Orengo James Aggrey Bob Orengo is a Kenyan lawyer, a well known human rights activist and politician who is the current governor for Siaya County. He is also one of the few Kenyan lawyers who have attained the professional grade of Senior counsel in t ...

, Chelagat Mutai, Chibule wa Tsuma, Mwashengu wa Mwachofi and

Lawrence Sifuna Lawrence Sifuna Sifuna (born January 23, 1946) is a Kenyan politician who was Member of Parliament for Bumula, the first MP of that constituency. He was first elected to the Kenyan Parliament on November 8, 1979 in the then larger Bungoma South con ...

. Wamwere was one of the several opposition figures detained by president Moi after the 1982 Kenyan coup attempt, though he maintains that he was not involved in the coup. Consequently, he lost his parliamentary seat, which was won

Francis Kimosop Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

at the 1982 by-election. Kimosop committed suicide in 1986 and Wamwere, who had been released from prison in 1984, contested the newly vacated seat in the 1986 by-election. The election was controversially won by

Eric Bomett The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, brother-in-law of president Moi. Soon afterward Wamwere fled to Norway, fearing for his life.Daily Nation, 3 June 2002: An almost sure seat for the Opposition In 1990 he visited Uganda, but he was kidnapped by Kenyan security officials in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

. He was charged with treason, and held at the

Kamiti Maximum Security Prison Kamiti Maximum Security Prison is a prison in Nairobi County, Kenya. The prison is within Roysambu Constituency, Kasarani District, bordering Kiambu County. Originally named "Kamiti Downs", it sits in the middle of its own estates which lie fal ...

. After being released in 1993, he again fled to Norway. He returned to Kenya in 1995, but was detained again and charged with robbery with violence, facing the death penalty. After a trial that attracted worldwide attention, he was sentenced for four years in prison and six lashes by cane. He was released on 13 December 1996 due to health issues after international condemnation and protests by activists led by Koigi's own mother. Having missed the 1992 elections due to detention, he prepared for the 1997 general elections by affiliating himself with the

Safina Safina ( in Swahili) is a political party in Kenya, founded by palaeoanthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey together with lawyer Paul Muite. History In May 1995, Richard Leakey joined some Kenyan intellectuals in launching a new po ...

party, but Safina refused to give him presidential candidature. Consequently, he stood for the presidency and a parliamentary seat for the minor

KENDA Kenda is a census town in the Jamuria CD block in the Asansol Sadar subdivision in the Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Kenda is located at . It has an average elevation of . The Asansol reg ...

party formed by Mukaru Ng'ang'a, but Wamwere got only 0.16% of the presidential votes and failed to win a parliamentary seat. He went to exile once again in 1998. At the 2002 parliamentary elections he was part of the victorious NARC coalition and he won the Subukia parliamentary seat and served as an Assistant Minister for Information in the

Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers. He had previously ser ...

administration. He lost the seat at the

2007 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2007. * Electoral calendar 2007 * Elections in 2007 * 2007 United Nations Security Council election Africa * 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress * 2007 Algerian legislative el ...

, at that time representing the little-known Chama Cha Mwanachi party. He continue to write, mainly op-ed articles in the Kenyan press. He owns ''Sauti Ya Mwananchi'', a radio station in Nakuru.Daily Nation, 30 September 2008
Detain him, vote him out, but you can’t silence him
/ref> He is the author of ''A Woman Reborn'', ''Justice on Trial'', and ''I Refuse to Die'', amongst other books.

Awards

*1995, Helman/Hammet Grant for Persecuted Writers,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

Parliament of Kenya: Members of Parliament, Elected Members
*1996, Ossietzky Award, Pen International Norway *2000, Human Rights Defender designed, Speak Truth to Power

Books

* ''A Woman Reborn'', Speak Books (1980) *''Conscience on Trial: Why I Was Detained : Notes of a Political Prisoner in Kenya'', Africa World Press (1988) * ''People’s Representative and the Tyrants'', New Concept Typesetters (1992) *''Dream of freedom'' Views Media (1997) * ''Tears of The Heart: A Portrait of Racism in Norway and Europe'' (2000) *
I Refuse to Die: My Journey for Freedom
',

Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press is an independent American publishing company. Based in New York City, the company was founded by Dan Simon in 1995, after establishing Four Walls Eight Windows in 1984 as an imprint at Writers and Readers, and then incorpora ...

(2003), *
Negative Ethnicity: From Bias to Genocide
', Seven Stories Press (2003), *''Towards Genocide in Kenya: The Curse of Negative Ethnicity'', Mvule Africa (2008)

References

External links