On June 27 1994, Dr. Fredrick Masinde, a firebrand politician associated with the FORD-Kenya party, died following a tragic road accident on June 24, 1994. The accident occurred along Ngong Road near the City Mortuary in Nairobi.
At that time, Kenyan politics were highly charged due to the reintroduction of multiparty politics after President Daniel Arap Moi repealed section 2A of the constitution.
Several by-elections were being held across the country, including in Mathare constituency, which garnered significant interest from political parties such as KANU, led by President Moi, as well as FORD Asili and FORD-Kenya.
The by-election in Mathare was prompted by the nullification of the 1992 general election results for that constituency. Dr. Fredrick Masinde had contested the seat under the FORD-Kenya party and successfully petitioned the initial results that declared Muraya Macharia of FORD-Asili as the winner.
Fredrick Masinde Dies in a Road Accident
The court’s decision to nullify the election results led to the by-election on June 27, 1994.
Before Masinde’s death, he had been a candidate in the by-election and was traveling with his elder brother, Richard Masinde, in a taxi when their vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming car. Their vehicle was then rammed from behind by another car.
Masinde was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and admitted to the critical care unit. Despite his critical condition, vote counting for the by-election continued, and he was declared the winner by a significant margin. However, he succumbed to his injuries and was posthumously declared the Member of Parliament for Mathare.
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The circumstances surrounding the accident raised suspicions of foul play, especially given that during that period, several critics of Moi’s government died under mysterious circumstances, leading to accusations that the State was involved in their deaths.
Years later, in an interview, Captain Charles Masinde, the brother of the late MP, expressed doubts about the cause of his brother’s death.
He believed the accident on June 24, 1994, along Ngong Road, was not accidental but rather a deliberate act.
“He was on a life support machine… his forehead had a mark which he never had. He was assassinated; he didn’t die from natural causes,” Charles stated.
Foul Play Alleged in the Death of Ford -Kenya Politician
These sentiments were echoed by former Special Branch Officer James Khwatenge, who claimed that Dr. Masinde was eliminated in a manner similar to Bishop Alexander Muge’s alleged assassination.
According to Khwatenge, Dr. Masinde’s death was staged to appear as an accident, akin to Muge’s, with a deliberate crash followed by suspicious actions at the scene.
“Simiyu Masinde was killed Bishop Muge-style… an accident occurs, you start bleeding, and someone comes out with a poisoned handkerchief to wipe your nose,” he stated.
There were also reports that Masinde as a candidate for Ford-Kenya, faced pressure from the KANU government to withdraw from the Mathare by-election. Initially agreeing to withdraw, he later reversed his decision, which angered KANU.
His subsequent death in a suspicious road accident led to claims from his brother, Captain Charles Masinde, and former Special Branch inspector James Khwatenge, asserting that it was an assassination intended to silence a political threat.
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