Exiled maverick Miguna Miguna has laid bare what he claims was NASA’s strategy to cripple President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration in a record three months.
In his new book, Treason: The Case Against Tyrants and Renegades, Miguna says the plan was to mobilise a million strong crowd for the swearing-in ceremony of opposition chief Raila Odinga.
However, after the oath, the mammoth crowd would not disperse, but instead kick-off daily protest against Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto for at least two months without a break.
“We recommend that we make Nairobi the theatre of operations; that we don’t disband after the swearing-in,” Miguna writes, recalling a presentation he made at a strategy meeting attended by Raila and NASA chiefs.
“Instead, we should transform that gathering into a one million-persons march, pickets, processions and carnivore in the CBD without prior public broadcast. Secretly, but widely disseminate the information through NASA and NRM networks. Surprise and stealth are essential.”
According to Miguna, a NASA ICT expert, he identifies as Gondi, among others hacked IEBC servers after the election and retrieved the genuine presidential results.
The results retrieved from a secure location in Tanzania, Miguna claims, clearly showed Raila had beaten Uhuru hands down and was the basis of the swearing in.
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According to the data, Raila led by 8,634,761 votes against Uhuru’s 7,675,162 votes, beating Uhuru by a clear six per cent.
According to the plan, during the processions - NASA would ensure protesters have enough clean water, portable toilets and mobile medical clinics - complete with International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders personnel.
“Let’s cripple all business and other activities in Nairobi through peaceful pickets and disruptive events for weeks on end,” Miguna writes.
“However, in case the Jubilee regime reacts by placing the NASA and/or NRM leadership under arrest, detention or kills anyone of us, we must appeal to our supporters to increase the level of positive popular activities and protests with the aim of removing Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy William Ruto from power - by all means necessary.”
Apart from the peaceful protests, NASA was to unveil a fresh list of “companies, products, services and prominent names of agents of tyranny and plunder to be boycotted every month.”
“We recommended that Haco Tiger Group of Companies owned by Chris Kirubi, Uhuru Kenyatta’s Commercial Bank of Africa, Equity Bank and other banks should be added onto the list,” he recalls.
But his suggestion of Equity Bank, he claim, triggered instant fury from Raila, whom he says was opposed to the oath, and trembled like a leaf in the lead up to January 30, 2018.
“Raila jumped in as soon as I said Equity Bank. “Nooooo, Miguna, we cannot boycott Equity. That will hurt our people,” he loudly protested.
“I agree with Miguna,” Wanjigi (Jimi) jumped in
“Me, too,” Raila Junior said, becoming louder as each minute passed.
“Me, too,” Winnie, Raila’s daughter, said.
We must break their backs - and Equity is their economic back,” Wanjigi added.
The last action plan, was to revisit the issue of secession of NASA strongholds and agitate for the formation of the “People’s Republic of Kenya”.
Miguna said after the presentation, Raila, who was opposed to the swearing-in, was in a tight spot.
“I knew that we had placed Raila between a white shark and a hippopotamus,” he writes, noting that during the entire presentation, Raila had a “miserable look on his face”.
“I paused and tried to asses everyone’s reaction. Raila Junior and Winnie looked pleased. Orengo smiled wryly. Muthama sat stone-faced. Khalwale had peeled off and left us. Raila looked upset,” he narrates.
“Miguna, after I get sworn-in, then what? Hmmm? Then what? I don’t want to be Kizza Besigye,” Miguna recalls Raila protesting
“You are not Kizza Besigye!” Wanjigi responded. You cannot be Kizza Besigye!,” he quotes businessman Wanjigi as having told Raila emphatically.
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In the 450-page book launched in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, Miguna, for the first time, reveals there were plans to swear-in Raila at a secret location with direct feeds to media houses.
This was the alternative route to prevent attacks by security forces and unnecessary loss of life and injuries if a public oath became impossible
“Two direct feeds to other stations - local and international TV and Radio stations - should be done by two TV reporters. We suggested Linus Kaikai of the NTV and the BBC bureau chief in Kenya. We will transport them to the secret and secure location just 45 minutes before the event. We will temporarily confiscate their mobile phones and other communication gadgets to avoid leakage,” Miguna recalls. He paints Raila’s children Junior and Winnie as having been the strongest supporters of the swearing-in that was reportedly opposed by their mother Ida and uncle Oburu Odinga.
Miguna says part of the National Resistance Movement suggestion was that they refrain from mourning as it made them look weak.
“Let us mourn our fallen martyrs after a successful revolutionary war,” he suggested.
“Let us celebrate the lives, courage, achievements and ultimate sacrifices of all the victims and martyrs of the struggle at the end of the protracted process because the process will be long and perilous,” he says.
He goes on: “We must appeal to our supporters to avoid agonizing. We must organize weekly pickets, rallies, processions and demonstrations in Nairobi to mark the cold-blooded murder of our martyrs.”
At that point Miguna said Junior got very excited.
“Raila Junior, who was seated to my immediate left, got very excited, stood up, went to a small fridge in the room and took a cold beer, which he opened and said, ‘heeeeh,’ as he gulped and continued listening.”
In the book, Miguna also recalls how ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi stormed out of his office as they tried to persuade him to attend the January 30, 2018 ceremony.
“The struggle has reached a point where we must separate those who represent the status quo and those who would like to transform it; between conservatives and progressive radicals…” he claims to have told Mudavadi to his face.
“You see Miguna, I’m a conservative. I’m not a radical. I represent and value the status quo,” Mudavadi replied.
He looked at me. Then at Raila. Then at Orengo and Wanjigi, before picking up a folder from his desk. “I’ve another meeting,” he said and left us in his office, never to return.
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