The 1971 Kenyan Coup Attempt | A Chronicle
In June 1971, 13 men were tried and jailed for conspiracy to overthrow the government of Jomo Kenyatta....prosecutor says 12 attempted to enlist aid of Tanzanian Pres Nyerere but were rebuffed..
They were a collection of civilians and soldiers. Although he was not among those in the dock, Maj-Gen Joseph Ndolo, the head of the military, was said to have been the man behind the plot and the one designated as president had it succeeded.
Chief Justice Kitili Mwendwa was caught in the web and was forced out of office but was also not charged.
Maj-Gen Ndolo, the first African Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), quietly resigned from office shortly after his co-conspirators were jailed
Mr Gedion Munyao Mutiso, the first MP for Yatta Constituency had been arrested in 1971 among thirteen coup plotters who were tried and convicted on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government of Kenya by unlawful means.
His confession in court shocked the country, after he explained his distaste for Jomo Kenyatta’s style of leadership pushed him to participate in coup plans ...
But how did the plot leak?
Evidence in court pointed to possible weak links Mr Mutiso said he had shown the proclamation he had been asked by Maj-Gen Ndolo to write to a colleague in Parliament. The second point could have been intelligence reports from Kampala and Dar es Salaam...
