My own conjecture is that despite knowing about the plans for the coup Moi, Mulinge etc "allowed" the coup to proceed so as to justify and legitimize the massive oppression, detentions without trial, dictatorship that followed.

including taking you guys to Gilgil

Its that time again when we remember....33 years on. May those who died RIP

What about the sponsors,financiers etc Where is justice?

When you consider how poorly executed the coup was it becomes difficult to imagine that a person like Oginga Odinga who was once VP and knew what it takes to topple a government was actually involved deeply. I mean seriously, these people thought that taking over broadcasting house amounted to a coup. How amateurish is that ?

So Oginga funded the coup huh ? How much funding did the Airforce serrvicemen really need to pick up their rifles and storm Broadcasting house ?

Its difficult to imagine that Oginga Odinga thought he could topple the government using two Airforce privates and no senior officers to mastermind the coup. This is a man who as a former VP understood how the military works.

Based on the original stories, I have read, the coup plotters were unhappy because of the way junior officers were treated and that was their main reason for plotting a coup. It is also obvious that Moi knew a coup was coming. Thats why according to reliable sources, he was so nonchalant about it.

Another thing that difficult to imagine is that given all the contacts Oginga had overseas, he never thought of an escape plan should the coup fail. He and RAO actually waited like sitting ducks for Moi to come and arrest them.

And RAO was not that popular in 1982. If Moi thought he was guilty, he would have charged him with treason.

Moi accused RAO of all manner of things when he was President and even locked him up in detention. But he never came out and said that RAO was one of the master minds of the coup and even went as far as dropping the charges ?

I have noticed of late that there has been a concerted effort in some of the media to trash Oginga Odinga. Those who lived through the Kenyatta years will tell you that the same thing happened in the 1970s. Is history repeating itself ?

Sometimes am shocked by the level of sycophancy that you have. Rao himself confesses to have played a role which he calls "peripheral" (2012) and "central" 2006 why do you try to take that shine from him yet he boasts that he was doing it to fight for "rights and freedoms"? It was Joseph Odigi Obuon who deeply implicated father and son.

The main reason for the coup was that some Luo guys felt left out in the govt and army. Odigi explained it there was no Luo who was in a higher rank than a brigadier, and there were no more than 3 Luo ministers in cabinet.

The initial plotter - note not organizer - was Dianga who was arrested before the coup however that did not deter its moving on tho, Ochuka took over and it flopped. During his trial after the coup was quashed, Ochuka confessed that he acted because there had not been proper presidential elections since independence and because his people had been abandoned by the government. He was also wary of a rumored coup by Kikuyu officers whom he had to beat to the game.

So please dont take that shine away. As for Mo1 forgiving Rao....has he ever? I believe Mo1 enjoys pulling the rug from under the carpet

Boss the UON staff or lecturers and students were not involved in the coup. They had their own struggles because Ngugi wa Thiong'o had been fired as a Prof. Willy mutunga was involved in distribution leaflets asking students to protest and reject Nyayos...that had nothing to do with the coup infact it happened before the coup. No one says that Rao imagined that he was going to take over the government esp at that time. Ochuka did. He had a curving on his desk indicating that he was to be "The next President of Kenya". Yes, many in the army were disgruntled by the tribal composition, including the Kikuyu but the plotters of this coup were mainly Luo and they gave their reasons.

You need to quit imagining stuff. RAO doesn't deny the fact that he helped plan the coup, he even gives accounts to where meetings were held. I suggest you read his 2 books they might help you.

Lastly, I DO NOT hate RAO on the contrary like the dude alot, can you imagine this democracy without him? I surely enjoy his theatrics alot.

Listen to yourself : If RAO planned the coup then how come Moi with his vast intelligence network was unable to dig up any evidence?

The fact that he does not deny it does not mean anything.

The coup was so poorly planned. It basically amounted to taking over broadcsting house. My take is that if RAO wanted to take over presidency, he would have used his connections in Eastern Europe. This was the height of the cold war and the USSR was eager to stage coups all over Africa.

Numerous people on this site and elsewhere have been insisting that RAO was the mastermind behind the coup. Many even stated that he wanted to become president. Many say Moi was benevolent for forgiving him. This is what I think is rubbish.

Ochuka and his cohorts were doing this coup for themselves. Reports suggest they were disgruntled because Luos were never promoted.

There was supposedly a coup by Luo servicemen and another one being planned by Kikuyu servicemen on August 6. Kikuyus were also disgruntled because their previously privileged position was eroding.

I do not deny that RAO would have wanted a coup to happen. I do not deny that he knew it was about to happen. UoN students and lecturers knew about the coup and all wanted a coup because Moi had suffocated all the democratic space. Even I would have supported a coup. Most dissidents supported the 1982 coup.

I really doubt he was that influential at the time.