By Odhiambo Orlale
Nairobi, Kenya: Excerpts by Mutegi Njau from my Book THE ODYSSEY @ 40 Years in Journalism in the voice of Mutegi Njau.
My best time at Nation was between 1981 and 1983/84. This was when Peter Kareithi was the News Editor in charge of investigations, and Dorothy Kweyu and I were investigative reporters. We worked together on significant stories; while many were published, some were not.
One notable story about Kenya Canners Ltd in Thika, Kiambu District, on their security dogs attacking locals, was rejected because the company was a major advertising client of Nation Newspapers Ltd.
However, thanks to our brave editor, Philip Ochieng, the Nation eventually published the story. He took the copy to the printer at night, bypassing the managers and fellow editors. This act of bravery was a defining moment in my career.
One of the most surreal experiences was receiving a phone call from President Daniel arap Moi (1978-2002). He was inquiring about a story we were working on that implicated Agriculture Minister Elijah Mwangale in corruption.
I tried to explain the situation, but Moi was clearly not pleased and hung up. This led to the story being shelved, and my then Managing Editor, Wangethi Mwangi, and I were reprimanded by the Nation’s Board of Directors, after I convinced the Taifa Leo Managing Editor to run it in the Kiswahili sister paper of Nation while Group Managing Editor George Mbugguss, was off-duty.
Another significant assignment was covering the controversial killing of 17 members of the Kikuyu community in Narok in the Rift Valley region. I personally went to the Narok Hospital mortuary and saw the bodies with machete wounds, lying on the floor. However, when the story was published, it sparked widespread condemnation, with accusations against Nation for allegedly promoting tribalism.
My lowest point at Nation came with an investigative story on the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), a parastatal under the Ministry of Agriculture. Despite having solid evidence and sources, the story was suppressed by my superiors after a close relative of President Moi, who was the Managing Director, compromised them, leading to a personal falling out and my taking a two-month leave.
Working with Odhiambo Orlale had its ups and downs. Initially, we had misunderstandings, especially when he joined Nation from the University of Arizona. He was young, ambitious, and abrasive, reluctant to take stories from upcountry reporters on reverse calls, as was standard practice for all reporters. This tension eased when the company employed secretaries as copy-takers specifically for handling upcountry stories.
I later recommended Orlale for the position of Bureau Chief in Kisumu, where we developed a strong professional rapport, particularly during the investigation of the Kisumu Rural MP and Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Robert John Ouko’s mysterious disappearance and death in February 1990. He had been abducted from his Koru rural home in Muhoroni, Kisumu District, in the wee hours of the night.
Fact File About Mutegi Njau
Mutegi joined the Fourth Estate in 1979 and rose in the ranks at NMG to senior post of News Editor at Nation, and Head of News at Nation Tv; he retired in 2005, having served for 24 years.
He then crossed over to Citizen Tv at Royal Media Services where he served as resident analyst, training editor and as co-anchor of the famous Cheche Morning Show. He passed on on June 27, 2024, at 75 years of age; this was two years after granting me the exclusive interview. May his soul rest in eternal peace, mutongoria (leader).
