When the now famous 1990 Saba Saba rally was organised by Kenya's pro-reform activists among them Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia and Raila Odinga (currently Kenya's Prime Minister) among others, and thwarted by the then KANU government under former President Moi, I was only a class one pupil.
It found when we had just gone through some tense moments which to us as children didn't really send cold down our spines unless we were in the presence of adults who comprehended the political atmosphere at the time.
The tense moments were as a result of the murder of Dr. Robert Ouko who - as I was to be told by my dad - was until his death Kenya's foreign affairs Minister. He went on to tell me that it is rumoured that he was murdered because of his perceived ambitions of deposing the President, then Moi.
The Saba saba rally came barely five months after the murder of Dr. Ouko - may his soul rest in peace - and was, according to historical records, a pro-democracy demonstration that was aimed at giving wananchi a chance to air their grievances to the then oppressive single party government of KANU under President Moi.
Among the things on the agenda at the time was the agitation for repeal of section 2(a) of the constitution to allow for multiparty democracy which would give Kenya's the democratic right to elect a leader of their choice without intimidation from any quarter.
Others included electoral reforms which would see the mlolongo system done away with and a secret ballot system adopted, limiting of the Presidential tenure and restoration of security of tenure to sections of the judiciary and public service.
According to historical records, the rally was ruthlessly crashed by Moi's government with hundreds of people being killed, thousands arrested and appearing in court and others among them human rights lawyers like Gibson Kamu Kuria being forced into exile.
Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia and Raila Odinga were put under detention without trial only to be released about one year later after being tortured mercilessly.
President Moi termed the demonstration as the work of drug addicts bent on causing havoc and disturbing the "peace" prevailing in the country. However, the church at that time led by the likes of the late Bishop Alexander Muge - may his soul rest in peace - were categorical that the Saba Saba demonstrations were a rebellion against the government of the day by the people brought about by poverty and lack of public participation in national affairs.
If you can remember this were the days of phrases like mtukufu, mkulima nambari moja, mfanyi kazi nambari moja, mwalimu nambari moja and all the other nambari mojas that ever were.
Twenty years down the line, I have grown big, knowledgeable and successfully completed the 8.4.4 system of education. I now comprehend what noble course the Saba Saba architects embarked on. I now know they were not drug addicts but genuine patriotic citizens who had the vision of reforming this country and getting it out of the jaws of the oppressive and corrupt KANU regime into a progressive state. I now know that if it wasn't for them Kenyans could have still been grappling with the oppresive regime of the KANU government.
I salute them all wherever they are, dead or alive. Dead or alive you are our heroes.
Over the years, the reform agenda has taken on a more comprehensive face from the initial piece meal approach. This has seen has seen us reviewing our constitution and now facing a second constitutional referendum on 4th August 2010 after the failed 2005 referendum.
However, it is sad to note that after all this while most of the anti-reformist have not seen any sense in the reform agenda that Kenyans have sought for the longest time, even losing lives along the way.
No wonder now most of the people who were in the KANU regime during the early 90s when the reform agenda took off strongly, are leading opponents of the proposed new constitution.
Even more sad, is the fact that a section of the religious leaders are opposing the proposed new constitution based on very flimsy reasons.
But theirs (the religious leaders) as we all know is a case of misconceived perceptions and unfounded fear. Actually, most of the current religious leaders are ignorant Kenyans who know very little about the history of their own country. They know more of Jews history than they know their own.
As we approach the forthcoming referendum, I wish we spared a thought and dedicated a moment of silence to our fallen pro-reform heroes. Those who were killed during the Saba Saba rally and those who died of related deaths their after. I also wish we celebrated the heroes who still live among us like Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Raila Odinga and Timothy Njoya among others by ushering in a new constitution.
Like Rt. Bishop David Gitari puts it "it is better a good document than no document at all."
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