Feting Moraa Ng'iti should open doors for ignored heroes

The National Heroes Council’s plan to have a monument installed in honour of Abagusii’s prophetess and medicine woman Moraa Ng’iti could be another step forward in the recognition of the great men and women from the region who participated in the fight for the country’s independence.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Peninah Malonza says this will be similar to the monument of Mekatilili wa Menza in Malindi town, Kilifi County.

“This process has started with desktop research on Moraa wa Ng’iti and other Gusii liberation heroes as evidenced by this report. The Council has planned to carry out field research in Gusiiland,” said the CS.

The recognition of Moraa and the creation of a monument in Kisii could also build up to the planning and pursuing the return of Otenyo Nyamaterere’s head/skull from a museum in Britain.

Even before the British came to Kenya, Moraa’s immense knowledge of indigenous medicine and foresight helped the Abagusii in wars against neighbouring hostile communities.

Forewarned

Before the colonists came to Kenya, Moraa predicted their coming to Gusiiland and forewarned her people of the evils that would befall the community, including taking away their land and cattle and conscripting their children into forced labour. She went ahead to rally the Abagusii to resist British rule.

Njuki Githetwa, who writes the Ukombozi Review blog, compares her to Syokimau of the Akamba, Kimnyole of the Nandi, Mugo wa Kibiru of the Agikuyu, and other seers in the early resistance against colonial invasion of the country.

It is Moraa who influenced Nyamaterere, her nephew warrior, who later led the resistance against the British invasion of Kisii.

She also supplied young warriors with traditional medicine and blessings making them a lethal force against the British.

She was arrested and detained at Kisii police station where she was tortured in an effort to coerce her to submit and cooperate with the colonial administration. She continued to mentor young warriors until her old age, and death in 1929.

Nyamaterere grew up to become one of the greatest warriors of the Abagusii community.

They strategised how to drive out the colonialists, who were forcing people to sell cattle, goats, and sheep to obtain money in order to pay the tax.

During an expedition to confiscate cattle from those who failed to pay tax, Nyamaterere speared Assistant District Commissioner Geoffrey Northcote, who was leading it, on January 12, 1908.

He was captured, tried in public, dragged by a horse and executed in public by a firing squad. He was then beheaded and his body shipped to London.

His head/skull is said to be stored in a British museum and there has been a push to have it returned. 

Lawrence George Sagini was a member of the first Cabinet in independent Kenya as the minister for Local Government. His father was the president of the African Tribunal Courts in Kisii, a fearless warrior who confronted the British expeditionary forces.

Chief Musa Nyandusi was one of the few chiefs who resented European discrimination against Africans and secretly supported the cause of African nationalism.

He helped Jomo Kenyatta escape arrest by the British. From his descendants, the Abagusii continued to get political and business leaders in the post-colonial period, including his son, Simeon Nyachae, a former powerful Cabinet Minister.

Another hero, Mokamba Nyamongo was a Gusii chief who resisted colonial land alienation and worked to protect his community’s land rights. He was involved in resistance against unfair land policies.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 acknowledges that the cultural activities and identities of the various Kenyan communities, which date from the pre-colonial period, have contributed to the fabric of Kenya’s modern nationhood. 

Sought recognition

In her letter to the Heroes Council, Nominated Senator Essy Okenyuri called for comprehensive public participation and funding to erect a monument in memory of the Abagusii community’s freedom fighters.

As her first assignment, she sought the recognition of Moraa.

True to her wishes, Moraa was among the 20 freedom fighters; 14 living liberation fighters and six deceased were honoured during the 60th Mashujaa Day celebrations.

Senator Okenyuri, in her July 2023 statement before the Senate, had requested the National Heroes Council to have the Abagusii Community Heroes and Heroines in the struggle for independence recognised and featured in the National Archives.

This, she says will help the community and the country connect history and ultimately inspire Kenyans about the future.

“I appreciate the effort that the National Heroes Council has placed to request enhancement funds from the National treasury amounting to Sh20 Million in the financial year 2023/2024.”

The National Heroes Council has agreed to have research conducted in Kisii and in other communities to help identify the freedom fighters and mount monuments in their recognition. 

The Council’s recognition of the Abagusii heroes could lead to cultural and Artistic Events named after Gusii liberation heroes; having the names and legacies of the heroes entrenched in national history and school curriculum; having monuments built; and roads, public parks, buildings or institutions named after these heroes.

“The creation of the monument requires comprehensive research, public participation and stakeholder funding,” the senator explained.  

The agitation to recognise a number of the Abagusii community’s freedom fighters and warriors has been in the books. However, the constant change of political leaders has derailed the journey.