Mau Mau heroine dies poor, to be buried tomorrow

An important chapter of Meru history will be closed tomorrow when Jacinta Mwariama is buried in Kiambogo, Timau, in Buuri sub-county.

Ms Mwariama was the second wife of Mau Mau hero, Field Marshal Musa Mwariama.

Even in death, he remains one of the most famous sons of the greater Meru region for his role in the struggle for independence.

His wife died from diabetes and high blood pressure complications at Nanyuki Level Five Hospital in neighbouring Laikipia County.

But residents and family members are unhappy that Jacinta died poor despite her husband commanding much respect and awe among the Ameru and Mau Mau fraternity.

Escaped capture

The freedom fighter was commander of hundreds of Mau Mau fighters in Mt Kenya and Nyambene Hills bases, and was among the few leaders to escape capture by the colonial forces.

Mwariama, Field Marshal Baimungi Marete and General China (Waruhiu Itote) worked under Dedan Kimathi in the uprising against the colonial government.

But Jacinta, who acted as a spy for the Mau Mau during the freedom struggle, died a miserable woman who lived in squalor, as did Mwariama in 1993.

She lived in poor health in a mud-walled hut.

Just a year ago, she had begged the Government to help her meet her basic needs, including food and healthcare.

“My late husband was not called a field marshal for nothing. It was because of his fearlessness and selflessness fighting to release Kenyans from colonial bondage. Do I look like the wife of such a great man?” she asked the Meru county assembly where she and others had presented a petition.

Yesterday, her son Joel Mwariama, a peasant farmer, and niece Lucy Murira were in tears as they recounted how much the 74-year-old widow had suffered.

“My mother was in the Mau Mau freedom struggle. She spent more time in the bush than at home, taking secrets messages and food to the fighters in Mt Kenya forest. When our father died she could not even afford to take us to school,” said Joe.

Ms Murira and others raised funds to enable Jacinta to seek treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital last December.

Entire life

“She struggled with poverty her entire life. She and her co-wife could not take their children to school when Mwariama died. The most educated reached Form Four, which is a pity considering their sacrifice for Kenya,” said Murira.

Joel, his brother Joshua Murithi and other relatives said they were pained to see their mother helpless in spite of numerous trips to Government offices to seek help.

“The national government had promised us land to settle and farm but that has not been forthcoming since 1964,” he said.

Jacinta’s children depend on a small family parcel to grow crops for subsistence.

“We never went to school because there was no money for fees. We struggle to feed and take care of our own children,” he said.

Before she died, Jacinta had said she was tired of being paraded during national holidays as a freedom war heroine yet no effort to enhance her lifestyle had been made.