Musengi or Subukia? Tragic story of an only child

A less informed view would say the Saitotis by all means were a loving family and have raised him as well as his biological parents would have; and that the Subukia’s should celebrate their birth son’s good fortune.

Sometimes, we have to give our tired eyebrows a break. The mess in the Office of the Prime Minister only seems to grow bigger with each coming day. The Minister for Karamoja Janet Museveni appealed to the heavens to take care of the NTV ‘scoundrels’ who jumped with glee at news that associated her with a record nine trips to Israel in one month. Her response perhaps avoided the biggest question; if she did not travel, who traveled in her name? Where is Mr Obbo, the cashier who drew the money on her account? And if so, did he have independent authority to requisition for travel on behalf of a cabinet minister? Is this regular?

But God has a way of supervising our deeds, good and bad. The story next door is heart breaking for all involved; the alleged kidnap of Mr Zachary Musengi, raised for 25 years as former Vice President George Saitoti’s son. If you travel regularly to Kenya the rumor on the street is that the death of Mr Saitoti and his colleague Joshua Orwa Ojode in a chopper crash was not a ‘blameless’ accident. So far, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry headed by a court of appeal justice has not landed on the smoking gun but has poked holes in the ‘blameless’ accident theory.

Mr. Saitoti and Mr. Orwa Ojode shared a familial detail. Both of them had an adopted son. Both highly successful and over-achieving individuals adopted a child to raise in their homes. Childbearing is almost treated as God-given in african culture. Some subjects like male impotence are almost taboo. Barenness is treated like a curse even though medical reasons and emergencies help explain why many women cannot give birth the natural way.

For the young Mr Musengi however, the news from a humble Subukia family that he is one of their own is the equivalent to being hit with two blocks on his head at the same time. First is the anguish he must be going through mourning the death of his father. The late Saitoti was more than a passing figure in Kenya’s politics.

Mostly unloved because of the Goldenberg scandal that nearly brought down Moi’s government and bankrupted the economy he was an ‘essential’ flagpost in Kenya’s politics. Infact, the death of both security ministers at the same time could almost be treated as an attempted coup d’état if you equate to the power of the Kenyan Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration.

Some people would say why are the Subukias showing up so late when they had an entire lifetime to look for their son? Their record keeping is almost meticulous yet the system failed and lied to them. We know of many families who live through the anguish of trying to find the fate of their beloved ones for an entire lifetime unsuccessfully. There is a deeper question in one of the economic and social systems we have assembled. Probably, through his lifetime; he wielded so much power that the official or internal lead in the system could never dare to cross the system to reach out to the Subukias.

A less informed view would says the Saitotis by all means were a loving family and have raised him as well as his biological parents would have; and that the Subukias should celebrate their birth son’s good fortune.

Adoptive parents are more often than not parents of means. Adoption is rarely for the financially vulnerable. This misses the point, the Nation’s thoughtful story show that the Subukias have raised well the rest of their children to university education and beyond, but all along mourning the loss of their middle son.

But this mismatch of means and despair to be a parent sometimes pushes despair to criminal conduct. From the little the rest of the public knows, the Saitotis were the church going type, religious and many prayers have been said since his demise for the repose of his soul. Was the late old Professor a child kidnapper? Does this story hold true?

For Mr. Musengi, with the guilt of an only child aside, how does he face the only mother he knew as a potential felon? This only leads to a deeper conspiracy theory.

Have the internal forces behind one of the groups that were eager to see Saitoti gone but are uncomfortable with the pressure his family is exerting through the current inquiries into his death, unleashed with their deepest and most hurtful card to shut them up?

These start to look less like random coincidences. Kenya like most former British colonies does not have a statute of limitations in criminal matters, the United States as an exception does. A DNA test may as well prove that the Subukia’s child is theirs but does not conclusively pinpoint who was responsible for kidnapping him.

Goldenberg ended inconclusively. Now Kenyans have these two capital crimes to resolve, the alleged murder of Saitoti, and the alleged kidnap of Master Subukia.

Mr Ssemogerere, an attorney and social entrepreneur, practises law in New York.
kssemoge@gmail.com