We
all know him for his badassery in reforms in the transport sector. He
is that headmaster who made sure all the matatus in his school wore
yellow belts with identity marks of where they are going. We all know
him for his badass reputation. No one, from here to Timbuktu, even the
presidency could tell Michuki what to do. He brought in two mercenaries
to tame the bickering at Standard House. When asked, he did not run
back to his community for support against ‘haters’. He did the ultimate gesture, chucked from his Mercedes S-Class and pointed to the
camera when you rattle a snake you must be prepared to be bitten”. After
bitching about all sorts of draconian treatments and bills, the media
backed off. Michuki 1, Media and Democracy 0.
John Njoroge Michuki was born in December 1932 in modern day
Murang’a County, way before any of your parents were even a concept in
your grandparents’ imagination. He was born to a large family of badass
sr – Chief Michuki wa Kagwi (He had 47 wives). Michuki did not enjoy
the privileges of life in his early upbringing, since his dad died when
he was young, plus the older kids used to disinherit younger kids. As a
result, they had to make do with their 3 acre farm. Although he is
rightfully a self made man, Michuki attributes his success to his
disciplinarian father and a visionary and loving mother Mariana Wanjiku
who, despite being illiterate,was keen on giving him education.
Mariana enrolled him into primo but
after two years, he dropped out due to financial probs. He came to
Nairobi to hustle, he did some tailoring-related works where he fixed
buttons and made button holes uniforms during WWII, after the war, he
relocated to Nyeri (the current hell-hole for Kenyan men) and did the
same job, did some cooking and at the same time enrolled in school
where he sat and passed his exams in 1945. In 1947 Michuki was admitted
to Nyeri High School and later Mang’u school for A-Levels where he met
Kibaki.
He served as a public servant for a
long time under Moi after returning from a scholarship abroad. After he
left office, he eventually managed to dislodge Joseph Kamotho, a
political heavyweight then, to become Kangema’s MP. He was made
(Bad)Ass Minister for Finance. Moi then did some crazy stunt of
authorizing the controversial Molongo system of voting. Michuki lost
but allied with Matiba, Kibaki and Co managed to bring Multiparty
politics in 1992 and he recaptured the Kangema seat.
After Rainbow coalition, Michuki as
Minister for Transport brought the much needed sanity into our roads.
The biggest reform in Kenya transport sector since the collapse of
Stagecoach and akina Kenya bus. Only a guy with badass ruthlessness
could deal with the crazy underworld of matatus, cartels and rogue
conductors. When moved to Internal Security…he allegedly put the menace
Mungiki on a hit list when word of his apparent shoot to kill command
came out. We have to say, at least thanks to him, illegal groupings
activities no longer made the headlines. The dude practically tamed
Munguki.As Environment Minister, amid the opposition from Rift Valley
MPs, Michuki insisted that all occupants of the Mau Forests would be
evicted and only some of the squatters would be compensated.
The man was so much, his body could not take it, and so Man Njoro passed away after a heart attack on February 21st 2012. May his soul rest in peace and his badass spirit torment the
rogue matatu operators, Mungiki members and land grabbers with equal
might.
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