Lessons for Kahiga: Raila's long fight for heroes of Nyeri

When Raila Odinga kick-started his presidential campaign as the Azimio la Umoja presidential flag bearer, Mutahi Kahiga, also campaigning to get a second stint as the governor of Nyeri county, unleashed an ignorant outburst on the former prime minister. Odinga, with the benefit of wisdom that comes with age and meticulous research, was narrating the political history of this country. Kahiga, who was in the opposing Kenya Kwanza coalition, perhaps unable to comprehend what the Azimio chief was saying, took to the podium and said that the people of Nyeri were not interested in the history Odinga was telling them: "They want to know what you will do for them when elected President," said Kahiga. While Kahiga might have scored some brownie political points with his audience at the time, he was way off the mark. While I am not saying that Kahiga is not a wise person, the right thing he would have done at the time, was to seek out Odinga in secret; preferably at night like old Nicodemus in the bible, and begged to be told the history of Kenya, and in particular that of Nyeri county. Sadly, for Kahiga, Odinga is no more. On the bright side, though, the former prime minister left a body of knowledge, which the governor would do well to comb through. Kimathi's widow He should start by placing an order for Odinga's book, "The Flame of Freedom", which incidentally was published by man who started his publishing journey in Nyeri town. This week I had planned to pay tribute to the fallen Raila Odinga by dedicating this column to his immense and often unappreciated role in honouring the Mau Mau liberation heroes. As a preamble, I, on Tuesday morning, made a post on Facebook saying that Odinga might have done more for the Mau Mau liberation struggle than all elected leaders, in Mt Kenya, including the self-declared 'son of Mau Mau'. I would wish to be contradicted on the above statement, with hard solid facts, not political posturing. Thus, when the Kahiga story broke late that evening, it only served to shape the background of my story. Now, Nyeri County has a glorious history especially when it comes to the Mau Mau struggle for independence. For one, the two most identifiable figures associated with Mau Mau, come from Nyeri. Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi and General Mathenge Mirugi need no introduction. When I said that Odinga did more for Mau Mau than the entire Mt Kenya leadership combined, it was not idle musing. Did you, for example, know that it was Odinga, who secured a house, in Nairobi, for Mukami Kimathi, the widow of Dedan Kimathi? This was after it became apparent that Mukami was getting old and sickly, and the cold weather of Nyandarua, where she was staying, was not good for her health. Not only did Odinga secure that house for Mukami, he also ensured that she was well catered for. My source, who is well versed about the ins and outs of the Kimathi family, intimated to me that Odinga was the to-go to person for that family, even after he left the prime minister's office. I bet Kahiga is not aware of this piece of information, and if he knows, he pretends not to know it. Let us pose here and ask why successive Mt Kenya leadership could not secure land for the Kimathi family in his native Nyeri that the family had to go all the way to Nyandarua? In 2014, I visited Mathenge's widow in Mweiga, Nyeri and found her old, sickly and miserable. Her son Mirugi died towards the end of July. I wonder if Kahiga attended the burial. Public apology Let me also ask, what Kahiga, now in his eighth year as Nyeri governor, has done for the Mau Mau. By now Nyeri would have a thriving Mau Mau museum administered by the county government, where visitors can go and learn about this iconic freedom movement. Museums fall under the Culture ministry, which is a devolved function; something governor Kahiga can easily do. Isn't it a shame that 62 years after Kenya gained independence, Kimathi's body still lies in an unmarked grave inside Kamiti Prison? In 34 of those 62 years, the President has been from Mt Kenya. Mukami died while begging the government to remove her husband's remains from Kamiti and accord him a decent send-off. What a shame! I am willing to go out on a limb and state here that had Odinga been elected President, he would have done something to remove this shameful stain from our country. I am sure, Odinga, in the many discussions with Mukami and her daughter, Wanjugu, the topic of Kimathi's internment must have featured prominently. I need to make a mental note of seeking out Wanjugu, who runs the Dedan Kimathi Foundation, and find this out, perhaps for a Jamhuri Day story. Why, you might ask, am I so confident that Odinga might have done something about giving Kimathi a decent send-off? Because it is the same Odinga, when he was Prime Minister, who facilitated Mau Mau veterans to petition the UK government and get it to acknowledge the atrocities it committed against the Mau Mau and give them token compensation. The compensation was not enough, but it was something. If you doubt me, let me hand you over to Gitu wa Kahengeri, the long standing chair of the Mau Mau War Veterans Association and let him tell you the story. Wa Kahengeri has documented this story in his memoir titled The Betrayal of the Mau Mau Freedom Fighters. This is another book Kahiga needs to buy. The title alone tells you all you need to know about how shabbily these heroic fighters have been treated by successive Kenyan leadership. This is what Odinga says in the book's foreword: "I am proud that as Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, I worked with the Mau Mau War Veterans Association to seek redress for the atrocities committed by the British colonial administration in the 1950s." Odinga adds: "At the instigation of Mzee Kahengeri, I raised the matter with then British Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron, at a meeting in London, where we discussed the issue of compensation for Mau Mau victims of colonial atrocities." Odinga explains that the out-of-court settlement with Britain, also gave way to the construction of a monument in honour of the Mau Mau, at Nairobi's Uhuru Park. Does Kahiga even know this? "In October of 2012, Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga, had written to the British Government, adding his voice to the petition that had continued to be made on behalf of the victims of torture under the British colonial administration in Kenya," writes Wa Kahengeri. Perhaps as an act of penance, Kahiga should, in his two remaining years as Nyeri governor, build the Mau Mau Museum and as a favour to the people of Nyeri and drop his ambition to vie for the county's senatorial seat. That would be all for now. Ngunjiri is the curator of Maisha Yetu, a digital media platform for Books and the Arts mbugua5ngunjiri@gmail.com

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