The Koinanges' formidable lineage

Mbiyu and Jeff Koinange

Senior Chief Koinange wa Mbiyu of Kiambu was the patriarch of the Koinanges. Though illiterate, the articulate and fervent Chief Koinange spearheaded early education through independent schools with the establishment of Githunguri Teachers College, where future President Jomo Kenyatta was vice principal when he returned to Kenya from England in 1946.

Senior Chief Koinange’s dalliance with the colonial government saw him appointed headman in 1921 and Senior Chief 17 years later, before serving as an adviser on African affairs to the DC.