Saturday, December
13, 2025 - Veteran Citizen TV journalist, Jeff Koinange, has shared
emotional recollections of his family’s sacrifices during Kenya’s struggle for
independence.
Speaking during a morning show on Spice FM on Friday,
December 12th, Koinange narrated how his father, Fredrick Mbiu
Koinange, and grandfather, Chief Mbiu Koinange, were imprisoned for a combined
16 years.
His father was detained for seven years, while his
grandfather spent nine years behind bars.
“My dad was detained for seven years, and my grandfather for
nine years. Together they served a total of 16 years,” he said.
Jeff explained that the detentions were indefinite, with no
trial, parole, or assurance of release, designed to break both the individuals
and their families.
He noted that his father married his mother, Mary Nyambura,
four years before independence, at a time when Kenya remained under colonial
rule.
He further revealed that the suffering extended beyond his
father and grandfather.
At least 15 other family members were also detained, with
their combined prison terms spanning nearly a century.
“Other family members were also detained during that time.”
“If you put together the years all these people served, it
can reach 100 years,” he added.
Koinange recalled how his father broke down in tears at
Uhuru Gardens on December 12, 1963, when Kenya finally attained independence.
"Four
years after my parents were married, Kenya was granted independence and my grandfather
was at Uhuru Gardens, my father was there, our mother told us later on that my
father shed tears.”
“He
could not believe Kenya was independent," Jeff said.
Jeff’s reflections highlight the heavy personal cost borne
by families during the independence struggle.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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