𝐓𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐧 (2025)

13/12/2025

Paramount Chief Gor Mahia Kogallo was the first leader of the Luos .
Gor and paramount chief Nabongo Mumia were the only paramount chiefs in Kavirondo (later Nyanza province and parts of western province)
Apart from being a paramount chief Gor was also a Magician who used his supernatural powers to lead Luos into victories on battlefields.

Gor Mahia was born to the ruling family of the Kanyamwa around the first half of the nineteenth century. He faced many hardships in his young life, including exile from home due to his stepbrothers’ hostility. While in exile he acquired many skills in leadership and magic. The commonly held belief is that it was under the tutelage of his maternal and paternal grandparents that he learned magic, which he later used to outmaneuver his political opponents and become the Ruoth (Chief) of the Kanyamwa. Gor Mahia became a leader at a time when the British were consolidating their power in the East African colony. One of their strategies was to appoint powerful leaders as paramount chiefs, who would then help administer the minor chiefdoms. Although Gor Mahia rose to the position of paramount chief under British rule, he never forgot his African heritage.
The British were in awe of his charisma and ability to command respect both from the people and the colonial government. This was a remarkable feat, given the political climate at the time:
The white man wrote down about Gor,
“This is a wizard, pure and simple—
A genius too, he could be:
Probably, no man has ever been so many things;
…………………………………..
And certainly no man has ever had affinity
With so many ages, races and species.
Gor died on May 15 1920 .He was saved three days before his death and was baptised as Petro Gor.

13/12/2025

Chief Muturi wa Thika with one of his wives. The photograph was possibly taken during the visit of Dr J.N. Ogilvie to Kenya in 1920.
Chief Muturi Wa Thika, the colonial administrator of Mangu location was among the native chiefs who forced his people to go and work for the White Settlers.

12/12/2025

Chief Kagai wa Kithegi from Kanjie-Mutira.He was among those who deputized Senior Chief Njega wa Gioko in 1930s and 40s.
Mr Chief Kagai reigned well,he was very influential among the people he ruled.
Kagumo Town in Kirinyaga County is also named after him. The old people,our grand fathers and mother refers to Kagumo as Gwa Kagai.

KAGUMO was known as Gwa Kagai,he single handedly saw it established in the present spot rather than Kangware (present day Mununga Tea Factory) where his predecessor Chief Ndegwa wa Kimere wanted it to be, and had already started it.
Before Chief Ndegwa died in 1936, he ensured that Kagai got a second wife in Kamwati, his daughter, so that they could be blood brothers.
This was to ensure that the two Chiefs did not 'finish' one another through witchcraft.

11/12/2025

The other pioneer Chief in Kirinyaga county was Gutu wa Kibetu (1860–1927) who reigned in the Eastern part of Kirinyaga county.

Chief Gutu wa Kibetu is the person whom Kutus town is named after-His first name ‘Gutu’ means ‘ear’ in Kikuyu.To anglicise the name, the locals named the town after the local chief Gutu then the ‘s’ completed what we currently call Kutus today🇰🇪🇰🇪

11/12/2025

Paramount Chief Kombo wa Munyiri was a visionary leader who, with everything he had and from his childhood, championed for the interest of the Mbeere community. Born in 1880, he was appointed Chief in 1912 for his demonstrable bravery and courage to lead and protect the interests of the community at a time when the colonialists were taking away resources of the African communities.

In his over 40 years rule until 1959, Chief Kombo wa Munyiri skillfully led the community to prosperity, winning cases in customary and law courts against enemies who tried to take away the community's land.

Chief Kombo wa Munyiri married 25 wives in a remarkable cultural achievement at the time and a demonstration of resourcefulness starting from his very home and family. He led his family and community until his death just before the country gained independence from British rule.

11/12/2025

Senior Chief Njega wa Gioko who ruled over Ndia and Mwea was born in 1865. He is legendary for marrying more than 80 wives, his ?ght with colonialists and today, Njegas area just before Kutus town in Kirinyaga County is named in his honour. Njega wa Gioko was a farmer.
Ndia leaders worked hard to stop colonial advance, and particularly the taking of land. Njega was one of the defenders of the land. Known for his strong stands and brevity in defending Mwea from European pe*******on, Njega employed all tricks in the game to stop it.

Cheif Njega wa Gioko died in 1948.

The other pioneer Chief in Kirinyaga county was Gutu wa Kibetu (1860–1927) who reigned in the Eastern part of Kirinyaga county.
Chief Njega was once taken to Chania Falls (near the present day Blue Post Hotel, Thika Town).
Here, he was tortured and was expected to announce that “Mwea belongs to the European settlers!” Failure to do so meant that he was to be drowned through the mighty River Chania. Surprisingly, Njega stood his guns. For him, it was no retreat no surrender.
Instead, he announced, “Mwea ni wa Ndia! Or Mwea belongs to the local people of the present day Kirinyaga. In secret, the Europeans later sub-divided Mwea, put up boundary posts and then went for Njega at his Kiamuthambi base. They implored upon him to accompany them to Mwea to see the demarcating beacons that they had erected. They wanted Njega to sign that he had consented with the ‘new’ arrangement. Upon arrival in the Mwea public gathering, Njega spoke in the local dialect and didn’t allow any translation.

Conversely, Njega mobilized the people to uproot the beacons that had been erected in Mwea. This annoyed the colonial administrators and settlers. They refused to take him back home and left him in the then bushy parts of Mwea, now Wang’uru Town and its environs. The aim was to see him mauled to death by the wild animals that were common in those bushes then. Surprisingly, he made it and returned to his Kiamuthambi home.

In 1933, Chief Kombo wa Munyiri of Mavuria location of Mbeereland, in the present day Mbeere South Constituency, announced that henceforth, Mwea would be part of his Mavuria Location. Njega swiftly moved to the colonial court where he won the case; and even after an appeal in Nairobi, Njega still won the case.
It is from there that songs were composed in praise of Njega wa Gioko. Njega’s Fourteen Settlements as a farmer, Njega wa Gioko was a farmer with fourteen settlements. These 14 settlements are as follows: Kiorugari (Muratina), Kiarukungu, Kanyangi-ini, Kathigiriri where he had four homes and where we now have Mwea prison, Kirerema also called Kiamanyeki where he had a home near Manjengo, Ndindiruku where he had 3 homes, Kithogondo where he had four homesteads and where we now have Mucii wa Urata Polytechnic, Mianya where there was an old homestead, Karira where Njeru Githae also claimed was his, Ciagi-ini as one of the old homes of Njega and where a butter processing factory had been established to cater for his cow’s milk – though it was later taken over by the National Irrigation Board after the declaration of the State of Emergency in 1952; Kiangage where mother Mutisya lived; Marurumo where Njega’s two wives (Wanjiru and Mugeni who originated from Meru) stayed; Banda Salama; and Kathi-ini.
After the declaration of the State of Emergency in 1952 by the then Governor of colonial Kenya, Sir Evelyn Baring, the shy Governor who had no mercy for Mau-Mau, Njega’s ‘house’ was scattered up. Some of the members of Njega house were taken in diverse colonial detention camps, put in the new villagization that came with the crackdown of Mau-Mau uprising and so on. To date, lots of challenges has faced the kingly family, including, ironically, destitution.

11/12/2025

Chief Josiah Njonjo,seated on the ground with a hat on his right,father to Charles Njonjo

11/12/2025

Mr Charles Njonjo (left) with his father, Senior Chief Josiah Njonjo of Kiambu, on May 6, 1956.
Paramount Chief Josiah Njonjo of Kabete was a collaborator, wealthy landowner, friend of Harry Leakey.It is said that at times, Charles Njonjo would ride to primary school on a horse accompanied by a servant

Paramount Chief Josiah Njonjo of Kabete was a collaborator, wealthy landowner, friend of Colonia Governor, a buddy to Harry Leakey and father of late AG Charles Njonjo
In the 1930s, Charles Njonjo would ride to primary school on a horse accompanied by a servant.

Charles Njonjo who was popularly referred to as "The Duke of Kabeteshire" became a defining figure in Kenya's history serving as the country's first African Attorney General.
Njonjo acquired the best education while growing up, provided by his father Josiah Njonjo who was a senior chief.
Josiah Njonjo was a colonial paramount chief and one of the foremost collaborators of British rule in Kenya.
In an interview with scholars, Anne Thurston and Esmond Bradley Martin, the former chief opened up on his life and his eventual rise to a respected elder in the community.

"Actually, I can't tell you the exact date, but I think I was born around 1890 because I have read about when Mr. Andrew Dick (a Scottish trader) was killed by a group of Maasai at Kedong on the edge of Kikuyu country in 1895," he was quoted by the researchers.
He recounted how the white settlers established themselves withing the communities in the Mount Kenya region.
Njonjo was friends with Loius Leakey who went on to become a renowned archeologist.

His admiration for the colonialists is unparalleled. "We used to call him "Wathiomo" - which means friend. When he grew older, he was given the Kikuyu name "Wakaruigi", which means clever, like an eagle," he stated.
From 1904 until 1912, he was among the few boys who went to school which he attributed to his love for football.
At school, they learned to read and used to read the Bible and some church history in Swahili.
When he left school, he went to work at The Leader of British East Africa newspaper office where he met with Gideon Kubai, Thomas Marimbe, Timothy Mwaura and Harry Thuku.
"I was there until 1914 when I went to work at the District Commissioner's office at Ngong. I was a clerk, really, a Goanese was the District Clerk, and I was his assistant. I also helped the District Officer collect taxes from the Maasai," he explained.
Around that time, World War 1 happened and together with the district officers, they went to buy cattle for the army.
When he returned home, he used money he had earned during the war to purchase land just North of Nairobi where he lived till his death.

Njonjo was later made chief and later paid five goats to become an elder. He stated that although he had become a leader, he did not hide efforts to get freedom and land back.
"I myself tried not to take advantage of my people and refused to do many things that the district commissioners expected me to do," he noted.
In 1929, Njonjo was appointed the divisional chief by the District Commissioner where he had eight chiefs and a hundred headmen under him.

During the Second World War, he was chosen to go to the Middle East to encourage the soldiers together with other chiefs from Uganda and Tanzania.
During the Mau Mau Uprising, Chief Njonjo and other collaborating chiefs, did the donkey work for the British in suppressing the Mau Mau.

Njonjo was a chief for forty-six years, from 1920 until 1966 when he retired on his piece of land on a farm North of Nairobi.
"I enjoyed being a chief, but it was a very hard job; it was not easy. However, I tried not to take advantage of my people and even now they come to consult me. I am happy wherever I go," he explained.
The sons of colonial chiefs filled most senior positions after independence because most had acquired advanced education and had experience in civil service.

The retired senior chief died on November 1, 1985. According to court documents, Njonjo had in October 1983 drawn a will where he named Kenya Commercial Bank Limited as the first executor and his son Charles Njonjo as the second executor.
His son, "Sir Charles” as he’s known, thanks to his penchant for all things British including his ubiquitous pinstriped suits, saw himself probably as a white man trapped in black body.

10/12/2025

A rare photo of Chief Muhoho wa Gathecha and his Wife Nyokabi🇰🇪 Chief Muhoho wa Gatheca is father to Mama Ngina Kenyatta and George Muhoho.George Muhoho was a former priest and the Pope's private secretary, who became Education, then Tourism, and Technology minister in the Moi govt.

Another son, Paul Gathecha got entangled in the NYS corruption scandal.

Sr. Chief Muhoho wa Gathecha was born in 1872 and passed away in 1966.

10/12/2025

Paramount Chief Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu(Pictured right) - was born in 1865 at Kiria in Kandara, Murang’a, Kenya. His father was Wanugu wa Gathirimu. Thus, originally he was known as son of Wanugu- son of a monkey. This became the butt of cruel and humiliating jokes, which forced him to adopt his grandfather’s name, Gathirimu.

He is alleged to have been disowned by his family due to his waywardness, particularly in making too many girls pregnant and thereby forcing his relatives to pay unbearable compensation. He fled to Kiambu where he attached himself to a distant relative.He became one of Waiyaki wa Hingas servant before enriching himself and later becoming a Paramount Chief.Chief Kinyanjui died in 1929.

In Kiambu, kinynjui found refuge Waiyaki Wa Hinga, a respected and wealthy elder. He was assigned to be a servant. He later entered the service of the Imperial British East Africa Company as a porter and translator for trading caravans in 1890.

He would accompany Waiyaki to see William J. Purkiss of the Imperial British East Africa Company, who was in charge at Fort Smith in Kikuyu. During a dispute with Purkiss, Waiyaki was wounded and taken prisoner. Kìnyanjui assumed the role of the first "chief" among the Kikuyu after the elder died at Kibwezi on his way to exile.The Kikuyu were governed by a local leader or elder, chosen by the people, before the Europeans arrived and introduced the concept of chiefs.

Kìnyanjui supported the British company's successive officers as a mercenary following the 1892 death of Waiyaki Wa Hinga.[8] When Francis George Hall replaced Purkiss, Kinyanjui emerged as a key ally for the new administration, as Hall isolated him and formed a friendship.[9] Hall, stationed at a fort built in Dagoretti, acknowledged him as the headman of Dagoretti, before later founding Fort Smith in Kabete. Kìnyanjui was referred to as Hall's "fidus Achates." He commanded a Kikuyu faction supportive of the company in Kabete. His growing ties led to roles as an intelligence agent, garrison supplier, and leader of punitive campaigns against Kikuyu groups opposed to the company officials.

In 1895, the British Government established the East Africa Protectorate and entrusted the Imperial British East Africa Company with its administration in 1888. The company quickly opened the Highlands to white settlers. Fort Smith, abandoned in 1899, was replaced by Francis Hall with a new post called Fort Hall (now Mūrang'a) before his death in 1901.

Kìnyanjui advanced by assisting the British in taking Kikuyu land. Beginning in 1902, Kìnyanjui sold land in southern Kiambu to its first white settlers.

Appointed senior chief under the Protectorate government in 1908, he later became the only Kikuyu to hold the title of paramount chief. Kìnyanjui was appointed paramount chief shortly after World War I, a post he retained until his death in 1929.

In 1919, Kìnyanjui chaired what is considered the first formal political meeting among the Kikuyu.

The East Africa Protectorate was transformed into the Colony of Kenya in 1920. Based on his close association with the British Empire, the colonial government later consulted him in the appointment of new chiefs and the introduction of policies. Kìnyanjui received the King's Medal for Chiefs in 1922 for his services to the colonial government. In 1925, the "Paramount Chief of the Agìkūyū" was introduced to King George V, the Duke of York, when the latter visited Kenya.

While visiting Maasailand from January to February 1929, Kìnyanjui leg was pierced by a piece of corrugated iron sheet, leading to a septic wound.

He died on March 1, 1929, in Kikuyu, Kenya at the Thogoto Mission Hospital (now P.C.E.A Kikuyu Hospital)

David Gìthanga, the eldest son of the late chief, succeeded him as chief on April 12, 1929.

One of Chief Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu's granddaughter is Teresia Wairimū kinyanjui, the founder of Faith Evangelistic Ministry.

09/12/2025

Waiyaki Wa Hinga was the son of Kumale ole Lemotaka, a Maasai whose family sought refuge in Gatundu where he was hosted by the Gatheca's family-the family of Chief Muhoho wa Gathecha, whose daughter is the First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta-most likely during the Lloikop wars. Due to his Maasai background, Kumale ole Lemotaka was given the name Hinga by the Kikuyu, meaning dissembler, a name given to those who lived amongst Kikuyus but spoke the Maa language or had lived among Maasais before.

Waiyaki Wa Hinga was the owner of a large Agikuyu fort at the frontier of Kikuyu country. Upon encountering the Imperial British East Africa Company, he was genuinely interested in establishing and cementing ties with them.We see this when Waiyaki welcomes Frederick Lugard, and gives him land so that he can set-up a fort. However, there was a mis-understanding right from the very beginning on which position Waiyaki held in Kikuyu society. British officials understood him to be the "Paramount Chiefs of the Agikuyu". However, Kikuyus did not have paramount chiefs in their political system; Waiyaki was a Kikuyu Muthamaki (singular) out of the many influential athamakis (plural). In Kikuyu society, a muthamaki was a spokesman, the chairman of a territorial unit and leader of his age-set. Athamakis were the first or leading personalities among peers; their role was highly controlled by their fellow peers. Given this, Waiyaki Wa Hinga did not hold the highest position amongst Kabete Kikuyus.

In 1892, a quarrel between him and Purkiss led to Waiyaki's death. This occurred after an expedition to punish Kikuyus of Githinguri for killing Maktubu, a worker of the Imperial British East Africa Company, fails. Purkiss was angry with Waiyaki as it was him who warned the community. Waiyaki feared his cattle would be impounded together with those of the culprits who had murdered Maktubu. A row flared between him and Purkiss. Waiyaki was then wounded in the head with his own sword, which he had drawn to attack Purkiss with. Due to this, Waiyaki was taken to Mombasa to be tried under IBEACo. Unfortunately, he never reached Mombasa: He was killed and was buried at Kibwezi en route to the Kenyan coast.Other accounts hold that he was actually buried alive after provoking the British transporting him. Waiyaki Way in central Nairobi is reportedly named after him.

09/12/2025

The area now known as Nyeri Town around 1903 with Nyeri Hill at a distance. The small outpost had started a year earlier🇰🇪🇰🇪

Nyeri town emerged from a British colonial military fort established around 1902 after Col. Richard Meinertzhagen's punitive expedition against the Kikuyu, growing into a trading center for European settlers, missionaries, and Indian merchants who developed coffee and wheat farms, with the town formally gazetted in 1911 and becoming a provincial capital by 1933. Its growth was shaped by colonial administration, land appropriation, and forced labor, creating distinct racial zones, while its strategic location between the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya also made it a center for both colonial control and later, Mau Mau resistance.

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