AfricanTribute

KOIGI WA WAMWERE

Founder of the National Democratic and Human Rights Organisation (NDEHURIO). Koigi Wa Wamwere went into exile in 1986 finding refuge in Norway. While abroad he formed an underground party called Kenya Patriotic Front (KPF). After the formation of political parties was partly allowed in 1991 the KPF ceased its clandestine existence and its members joined other parties. Wamwere was arrested by the Kenyan authorities in October 1990, reportedly having been abducted from Uganda. He was charged with sedition but his lengthy trial was abandoned in January 1993 and he was released from detention.

Wamwere continued to campaign for human rights and democratisation in Kenya without specifically identifying himself with any of the (now legal) opposition parties. The authorities however, continued to regard him as a dangerous radical, and he was subsequently re-detained on charges relating to a raid on a police station in November 1993. His trial began in Nakuru on 12 April 1994 and concluded in October 1995. International observers concluded that the prosecution did not produce credible evidence tying him to the incident; however, the Chief Magistrate found Wamwere and his two co-accused guilty of robbery, but not armed robbery, and sentenced them to 4 years in prison plus three strokes of the cane. The fourth defendant was acquitted of all charges. Wamwere's defence attorneys established alibis for the defendants and showed that the state had tampered with evidence.

Human rights groups both in Kenya and abroad considered the three defendants political prisoners. Wamwere's defence team lodged appeals in December 1995, and he was granted bail in December 1996 on medical grounds, as were his two associates. International observers at his trial concluded that the prosecution had fabricated the evidence against him. Since his release Wamwere has been able to speak to journalists and has had his passport returned so that he could travel abroad to receive medical treatment. In April/May 1997 he returned to Kenya to attend his father's burial ceremony. The Kenyan authorities did not attempt to stop him entering the country nor harass him whilst there. In November 1997 Wamwere announced he was joining the Kenya National Democratic Alliance (KENDA) to run for the Presidency. In December 1997 the Chief Justice quashed Wamwere's four-year jail sentence and dropped all charges against him and his two co-defendants.

According to Koigi, "Poor people do not spend time contemplating their quality of life. To them life is basically about survival. And for rich people, quality of life revolves around consuming as much as possible."

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