Masinde Muliro was a Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n politician, one of the central figures in the shaping of the political landscape in Kenya. A renowned freedom fighter, he campaigned for the restoration of multi-party democracy

Multi-party system

A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...

 in Kenya in his later years.
He was a ruthless negotiator and a proponent of peaceful but focused politics. He had a reputation for integrity rivaled only by Ronald Ngala. Considered by some as one of the best leaders that never became president, it has been speculated that had he not died, he may have beaten Daniel arap Moi

Daniel arap Moi

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...

 for the presidency in 1992.

Early life

Henry Pius Masinde Muliro was born in Kimilili

Kimilili

Kimilili is a town and area in Kenya's Bungoma District. The area is occupied mainly by the Bukusu and Sabaot communities. Its proximity to the fertile slopes of Mt Elgon, on the Kenya-Uganda border, has made it a trading center for agricultural goods and services...

 area of Kenya, the son of Muliro Kisingilie and his wife Makinia. His parents died when he was young, and he was brought up by an older stepbrother, Aibu Naburuku.
After elementary and high school studies in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 and Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, he joined the University of Cape Town in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 in 1949. He enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History and Political Philosophy, and graduated in 1953 with degrees in Arts and Education. In 1954 he returned home with a South African wife, and taught for a while at a government school. In 1957, he quit his job to join politics.

Politics

In 1948, Muliro had joined the Kenya African Union

Kenya African Union

Kenya African Union was a political organization formed in 1944to articulate Kenyan grievances against the British colonial administration of the time...

 (KAU), a body formed to champion the interests of Africans in colonial Kenya.
When he quit teaching in 1957, he contested the Nyanza North Legislative Council seat which was then held by W.W.W. Awori (Elder brother of the former Kenyan vice president Moody Awori

Moody Awori

Arthur Moody Awori , known as "Uncle Moody", was the 9th Vice President of Kenya from 25 September 2003 to 9 January 2008.-Politics:Awori was born in Butere. He went to Mangu High School in 1935, and later Kakamega High School...

). Muliro won the election.
Among his fellow legislators were Daniel arap Moi

Daniel arap Moi

Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...

 representing the Rift valley, Tom Mboya

Tom Mboya

Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a prominent Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta's government. He was founder of the Nairobi People's Congress Party, a key figure in the formation of the Kenya African National Union , and the Minister of Economic Planning and Development at the time of his death...

 representing Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

 area, Bernard Mate

Bernard Mate

Bernard Mate was a Kenyan politician and one of the first group of black Africans to be elected to Legco, the then governing body in the British Colony of Kenya, representing Central...

 representing Central Province, Ronald Ngala

Ronald Ngala

Ronald Gideon Ngala was a Kenyan politician and statesman who was the leader of the Kenya African Democratic Union political party from its creation in 1960 until its dissolution in 1964.-Early Career:...

 representing Coast Province, James Nzau Muimi representing Eastern Province, Lawrence Oguda representing Nyanza South, and Oginga Odinga representing Nyanza Central. In 1958 Muliro formed the Kenya National Party with the support of 9 Legco members. He later on dissolved his party to join the Kenya African Democratic Union

Kenya African Democratic Union

The Kenya African Democratic Union was a political party in Kenya. It was founded in 1960 as an alternative to Jomo Kenyatta's Kenya African National Union . It was led by Ronald Ngala...

 (KADU). He was subsequently appointed minister of commerce just before Kenya gained independence in 1963.
Muliro worked in various positions in later governments, but was frequently on the wrong side of President Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....

. After Kenyatta's death, Muliro went back to Parliament after winning a petition in court. He served as the Kitale East Constituency until 1988, when the constituency was split. He won the newly created Cherangany Constituency

Cherangany Constituency

Cherangany Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. The constituency has six wards, all of which elect councillors for the Nzoia County Council. It is one of three constituencies in Trans-Nzoia District. The constituency was established for the 1988 elections.- Members of Parliament :-...

 parliamentary seat in 1988, but held the position only for two years. At the 1990 by-elections, the Cherangany seat was won by Kipruto Arap Kirwa .

Multi-Party Campaign

In 1989, Muliro teamed up with Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Martin Shikuku, Phillip Gachoka and Oginga Odinga to form FORD (Forum for restoration of democracy), a pressure-group agitating for a return to pluralist politics. After violent clashes pitting FORD supporters against police and government supporters, the KANU government accepted multi-partysm in 1991. FORD became a party with Muliro as its vice chairman.

Disagreements soon cropped up with two main rivals Oginga Odinga and Kenneth Matiba each wanting to run for presidency and not wanting to listen to reason. It was Shortly after this that Muliro left for London for a fundraising mission for the newly formed Ford political party. It was to be an ill-fated trip: on his return, upon his arrival at the Nairobi airport on the morning of August 14, 1992 he collapsed and died. The controversy of his death was heightened by the absence of an official post mortem. Muliro was buried on his farm in the Kitale

Kitale

Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around . Its urban population was estimated at 220,000 in 2007....

 area of Kenya.

The party, then split into two factions after Muliro died due to a disagreement on who was to run for the presidency against President Moi. Kenneth Matiba and Martin Shikuku claiming that they are the real owners of Ford splitting to form Ford Asili

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Asili

The Forum for the Restoration of Democracy–Asili is a political party in Kenya. It is commonly known as FORD-Asili. Asili means 'original' in SwahiliFORD-Asili has its origins in the original Forum for the Restoration of Democracy...

 and Odinga and others forming Ford Kenya

Ford-Kenya political party

FORD–Kenya is a Kenyan political party and was part of the ruling NARC coalition that ended forty years of KANU rule in Kenya...

. Had Masinde Muliro not died, the original FORD would have remained united and possibly would have removed president Moi in 1992.