If you were an adult during former President Daniel Moi’s era, you are familiar with the term Nyayo chambers and might have heard of the chilling things that happened to detainees. Millennials and GEN Zs may also know of the chambers through reading or hearing about them.
In an interview with NTV’s The Wicked Edition Show by Dr. King’ori, former spy James Khwatenge provided insights into what happened at the Nyayo chambers.
If you like spy storylines in movies, which are about intelligence, then you know that things like torture, going undercover, and surveillance are common subjects in such films. Sometimes, you cannot help but wonder if all of those terryfing things, like electrocution, actually happen.
A typical day for a detainee at Nyayo chambers
According to Khwatenge, several horrible things happened at Nyayo chambers just like what you see in intelligence movies, especially when a spy gets caught.
“Nyayo chambers had people who tortured detainees. These were sadists and had no education…Their job was to torture people,” Khwatenge explained.
He also added, “They would starve detainees and later give you good food like brown ugali and chicken. Then there would be a good cop-bad cop situation to persuade the detainee to give up the required information.”
Detainees were also taken to a dark room, where they would lose track of time, so they would not even know the time or day. This is a common tactic in intelligence movies, which do well in ratings for their storylines and intriguing scenes.
Khwatenge continued to explain that prisoners would also be exposed to extreme temperatures, too hot and too cold.
“There was a room with a pipe that would make the room feel like a refrigerator. One could also be exposed to very high temperatures that felt like you are in a desert,” he said.
There was also the ‘Njeri’ situation, where a woman would come in and harass detainees to get information.
“You would be taking a shower and Njeri walks in and starts harassing you down there, “the former spy expounded.
Additionally, detainees at Nyayo chambers also got only one hour of sunlight.
Wajakoya worked at Nyayo Chambers
During the 2022 presidential elections, in which George Wajackoyah was a candidate, media dug into the lives of aspiring presidents and it was revealed that Wajackoyah left the country at some point, fearing for his life.
Khwatenge shed more light on this during the interview saying, “Wajackoyah worked at Nyayo Chambers in the music room, where surveillance was done. He heard a conversation between President Moi and Biwott about taking care of a ‘problem’. This made Wajackoyah fear for his life, making him leave the country…Such information can be stressful.” Khwatenge added.
Wajackoyah’s many degrees
On the many degrees Wajackoyah has, Khwatenge disclosed that when the former Nyayo Chamber worker left the country, he got into a program that allowed him to study a degree course in a shorter period than the three years it took to study one in Kenya.
Khwatenge also added that the late President Moi borrowed the torture chamber idea from Romania. His administration was marred with assassinations, torture, and the firing of people who took stands against the government.
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