Magugu’s strange world of business and politics

• When he died last Saturday, Mr Magugu went into the annals of Kenyan history as the minister who forced tobacco manufacturers to start inserting a Ministry of Health warning on the packets, banned smoking of cigarettes in public places, and delayed his budget speech by a week when he was the Minister for Finance.
• As far as political goofs go, he ordered the removal of Kenyatta’s portraits from government offices; a move that was supported by former President Moi.
• Mr Magugu was a Nyayo maverick; and unlike other Kiambu MPs who roamed to other political parties after the introduction of multi-party politics, Mr Magugu stayed within Kanu, perhaps due to his vast indebtedness.
• Besides owning hundreds of acres of land in Nairobi’s Thoome and Ridgeways estates, prime plots along Nairobi’s State House Road, and various beach plots at the Coast, Mr Magugu did not emerge as one of the celebrated millionaires of his time.
• He graduated in 1963 with a BA degree at La Verne University in California, joining a select group of Kenyans with a university degree. He also graduated with an MA from University of Stockholm where he studied land economics.

Arthur Magugu was aided to a car from his Ridgeways home, a sky-blue tiled bungalow with well-kept lawns off Kiambu Road, Nairobi. The day was Thursday, December 10, 2009.

He had to witness the wedding of his only son, Gicho, at the neatly manicured Paradise Gardens situated besides a 10-acre water dam and amidst vast coffee farms, adjacent to the more familiar Paradise Lost retreat. In the music circles, Gicho, a DJ, goes by the name Gichboy.

Invited guests, who included former FirstLady Mama Ngina Kenyatta, had to carry their invitation cards. There was another condition: No photos of the ailing former minister were to be taken.

The Press was barred from the event whose celebration was to flow over to the Jamhuri holiday festivities.

When he died last Saturday, Mr Magugu went into the annals of Kenyan history as the minister who forced tobacco manufacturers to start inserting a Ministry of Health warning on the packets, banned smoking of cigarettes in public places, and delayed his budget speech by a week when he was the Minister for Finance.

As far as political goofs go, he ordered the removal of Kenyatta’s portraits from government offices; a move that was supported by former President Moi.

Mr Magugu was a Nyayo maverick; and unlike other Kiambu MPs who roamed to other political parties after the introduction of multi-party politics, Mr Magugu stayed within Kanu, perhaps due to his vast indebtedness.

Besides owning hundreds of acres of land in Nairobi’s Thoome and Ridgeways estates, prime plots along Nairobi’s State House Road, and various beach plots at the Coast, Mr Magugu did not emerge as one of the celebrated millionaires of his time. He was a bit reckless with debts as was attested during the fight for Kamiti Tanneries, which ended up in court.

Besides interests in coffee farming (which collapsed), Mr Magugu was left to disposing of chunks of his real estate to survive. His health deteriorated in 2007, forcing him to stay out of the Githunguri parliamentary seat contest.

He had won the seat in 1969, then aged only 34, and held onto it until 1992 when he lost it to Ford Asili’s Dr Josephat Karanja. From that point Mr Magugu simply disappeared from the public limelight, to emerge again in 2002 for another tenure as MP.

Son of colonial Senior Chief Magugu Waweru, the former minister was one of the beneficiaries of colonial collaboration; just like other sons of colonial chiefs who earned American education.

He graduated in 1963 with a BA degree at La Verne University in California, joining a select group of Kenyans with a university degree. He also graduated with an MA from University of Stockholm where he studied land economics.

It was his links with other sons of influential chiefs in Kiambu, (the Koinanges, Njonjos, and Waruhius) that enabled the young Magugu to fit into Kiambu politics in the years of the Kenyatta presidency. He also came from a wealthy family — and had the necessary qualifications.

Kenya Gazette notices show that his father acquired large tracts of land as the Muramati (custodian) for the Ihuthia clan in Kiambu during the emergency period.

Chief Magugu had succeeded Senior Chief Waruhiu Kung’u — whose 1952 assassination by the Mau Mau forced the colonial government to declare a state of emergency — to become one of the most powerful Kikuyu chiefs during the period.