Kenyan billionaire and former Cabinet Minister Njenga Karume once found himself in an unexpected situation after being summoned to Jomo Kenyatta’s home in Gatundu, where he was subjected to a controversial loyalty oath.
In his autobiography, Beyond Expectations, Karume recounted that the incident happened in 1969 following the assassination of powerful minister Tom Mboya, which heightened political tensions in the country.
Karume explained that Kariuki Kimani wa Mbagi, a manager at Kenyatta's firm in Njiru, informed him that the president urgently wanted to see him in Gatundu.
After meeting in Ruiru, the two travelled to Gatundu together. However, instead of being taken to Kenyatta's main house, Karume was directed to the security quarters and ushered into a dark room.
To his surprise, he found his old friend Kaniu Kinyanjui and several other men holding pangas. He was then instructed to remove his clothes.
Karume realised that he had been brought for an oath-taking ceremony. He revealed that the ritual involved chewing a strange substance and pledging loyalty to Jomo Kenyatta, his government and Kikuyu leadership.
He later questioned why such an exercise had been conducted at the president's residence, adding that he suspected Kenyatta might not have known what was happening.
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/74096-billionaire-who-confessed-taking-oath-kenyattas-ichaweri-home
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