In the height of the democratic multiparty rule struggle in Kenya saw university students, activist’s, clergy and even artists join the liberation efforts to see the collapse of the oppressive de facto rule.
JJ Muoni of Ngarua Boys Band remembers vividly his experience in the torture chambers in the basement of the iconic Nyayo House skyscraper.
John Mugo Muoni ‘Jogoo’ alias JJ Muoni, a multi-talented gospel and secular Benga star found himself in the dragnet of the dreaded Special Branch Detectives lead by one Mr. Opiyo who went on a rampage mode with instructions from above to ruthlessly neutralize any radical mind endorsing multiparty or rather the Mwakenya.
It was around 1990 when Benga was on its lowest; with few concerts, censorship and interference by the government coupled up with the hard economic times many artist were forced out the game but JJ Muoni was on his peak after some rebranding.
The push to have a new robust democratic Kenya was intensifying, having Muoni as the lead artist in composing songs that castigated the regime and evoked rise of nationalism,but the price had to be paid!
Multiparty supporters can at least remember songs like…
Matiba, Matiba Ngai arokurathima, tondu ni werutiire kunyarirwo ni KANU, mbara ya multiparty muingi wothe wa kenya ugutura uthomaga…
Muoni composed songs in praise of the heroic deeds of Multiparty legends likes of Matiba Kenneth, Oginga Odinga, Koigi Wa Mwere etc. he praised FORD party which was not supposed to be in existence which drew the attention of the government sleuths, Muoni booked a spot in their radars and soon he would be a guest of the ruthless team in the dungeons.
Muoni’s tolerance reached its climax on May 1990 when Kamukunji’s MP Maina Wanjigi was out the country and the regime saw it as a perfect chance to demolish Muoroto Slums in the constituency; on that fateful morning government bulldozers descended on the mud houses and leveled the entire slum, in a bid to resist forceful eviction, its reported that 12 Kenyans lost their lives.
In her article, ‘Remembering The Destruction of Muoroto’, Jacqueline M. Klopp noted that,
“KANU intensified slum demolitions in the 1990s for two inter-related reasons, firstly slum clearance as in colonial times was a means of keeping in check urban popular dissent, in the 1990s this dissent was linked to support for multi-partyism, secondly slum clearance was a way of punishing insubordination by withdrawing access to land and, conversely, a way to reward loyalty by re-allocating vacated land to political supporters”
Touched by the turn of events, JJ Muoni within a short period released ‘Muthini Wa Ngai’ a song which resonated well with the current happenings and sold out many copies within Nairobi, a line of lyrics went as
“Gutiri hindi Ngai egutura atari acoka, oke atue ciira muthini wa Ngai nguuria we oragio kii na ni munyamariki?”
When the special branch detectives got wind of the song, Muoni was booked for an appointment at the Nyayo House chambers, within three days since the release of the song Muoni was arrested and detained without trial at Nyayo House for interrogations.
From flogging, heavy blows spiced up with electrocution and water submersion and other dark ordeals, Muoni was made to explain the meaning of his song, the day he was released from the dungeons he was not the former self anymore, the torture he received rendered him impotent for the rest of his life.
Though Muoni seeks compensation from the state, his case has not proceeded as much unlike Matiba’s which saw him compensated heavily by the government.
