- At a time when Kenya had just gained independence, Makokha was among the few people who led a life of privilege
- As an aircraft engineer, he owned a gun, a car, travelled the world, and lived in Upperhill when few Kenyans could afford to
- Just when he was on top of the world, a moment of madness earned him 10 years in prison, altering his life forever
A former aeronautical engineer who once worked at the heart of East Africa’s aviation industry has recounted a dramatic fall from a life of privilege and international acclaim to imprisonment.
Source: Youtube
Makokha, who began his career in aviation in the early 1960s, was among the pioneering engineers recruited by East African Airlines, now Kenya Airways, shortly before Kenya gained independence in 1963.
At a time when commercial aviation in the region was still developing, he was entrusted with critical responsibilities that included inspecting aircraft engine oil levels, landing gear systems, and calculating fuel requirements based on aircraft payloads.
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His work took him across multiple countries, exposing him to international aviation operations and placing him among a small, highly specialised group of engineers in East Africa.
At the peak of his career, he even served on a technical panel that investigated the Ethiopian Airlines crash that claimed 48 lives, an assignment he describes as demanding and sobering.
During those years, Makokha was among the few Kenyans who owned a private vehicle, a rare symbol of wealth and status in a society where car ownership was largely reserved for the elite.
Reflecting on the period, he disclosed that his professional status afforded him both influence and relative affluence.
“I lived on Bishop Road in Upperhill and was even a licensed gun holder because I needed protection for myself,” he recalled.
He built a stable family life as a father of seven children, two sons and five daughters, six of whom are now working abroad.
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However, his life took a drastic turn following a family inheritance dispute that he says began after his father divided ancestral land among his children.
According to him, tensions emerged soon after the patriarch’s death, when one of his brothers rejected the distribution of property.
“Trouble started when our father bequeathed his land to us, and everyone was given a share, only to die months later,” he said.
The disagreement escalated over time, with Makokha alleging that his brother threatened to destroy his five-bedroom home in the village.
The situation, he says, eventually deteriorated into violence when individuals he believed had been sent to his property confronted him.
In the confrontation that followed, Makokha says he used his licensed firearm in what he describes as an act of self-defence.
He maintains that he shot the two men in their hands, but the situation took a tragic turn when he later learned they had died from their injuries.
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“The moment I received news of their death, I knew I had a murder case on my hands,” he said quietly.
With the land dispute ending in tragedy, he was subsequently arrested and charged, and later appeared before the High Court in Busia.
After three years of court proceedings, he was found guilty and sentenced to death at Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Believing the ruling was too severe, his case was later revisited, leading to a retrial. His sentence was eventually reduced to 10 years, marking a significant shift in his legal fate.
Now free, the 91-year-old reflected on a life that has spanned remarkable highs and devastating lows, lost prestige, and the consequences of a dispute that changed everything.
Source: NGBREAKINGNEWS
