Man who walked 230km to attend Mashujaa celebrations left stranded at hotel

Stephen Kariuki Muigai walked from Nakuru to Kirinyaga to witness the celebration. [File, Standard]

Stephen Kariuki Muigai, who embarked on a one-week walk from Nakuru to Kirinyaga to attend this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations, has been left stranded at a Kerugoya hotel.

Muigai, 67, walked at least 230 kilometres to attend the Mashujaa fete held at the Wang’uru Stadium in Mwea Town, Kirinyaga County.

He arrived in Kirinyaga at 7 pm on Tuesday, October 19.

A group of people, who introduced themselves as officers working for area Governor Anne Waiguru, received him and took him to the county boss’s residence in Kagio Town near Sagana.

Another 50-member group of visitors, said to be Mau Mau heroes, joined him at the governor’s residence.

Muigai and the other visitors were “warmly” received and when leaving, were gifted pishori rice, coffee and tea packs, and loaves of bread.

Waiguru reportedly left the visitors in the hands of her aides.

“One of her assistants booked me into a hotel in Kerugoya Town, promising to pick me up at 7am so that he could take me to Wang’uru Stadium,” Muigai told The Standard.

On Wednesday morning, no representative from the governor’s office came for him, leaving him stranded, he said.

“It hurts when one walks more than 200 kilometres, only to miss out on the event he or she had eagerly anticipated,” said Muigai. 

Last year, during the Mashujaa celebrations held at the Gusii Stadium in Kisii County, Muigai was locked out of the venue over lack of an invitation card.