Mama Ngina Buys Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima a House and Clears Sh4.7 Million Loan

Mau Mau freedom fighter Field Marshal Mary Muthoni wa Kirima has thanked former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta for buying her a house and clearing a bank loan of Sh4.7 million.

On Thursday, Muthoni and her family visited Mama Ngina to express their gratitude for the kindness she and her family have extended to her.

Muthoni gave Mama Ngina many gifts including goats, pot, a three-legged stool, a traditional tray, a kiondo (African basket), and food from her shamba.

The 93-year-old also thanked the former first lady for accepting to travel to Nyeri in April last year to shave her dreadlocks, which she kept for over 70 years. The shaving symbolized the fulfillment of the freedom she fought for in the 1950s.

Speaking during the event at her Muthaiga home, Mama Ngina said the dreadlocks cut from Field Marshal Muthoni will be taken to the museum to act as a reminder of the sacrifices some Kenyans made for the country’s liberation.

"Now you see for yourself the people who were in the forest fighting for this country because nowadays people pretend to know a lot… We have done a lot for this country," Mama Ngina said.

Muthoni, the only woman to have attained the Mau Mau rank of field marshal, joined the group as a spy when she was 20 years old and also helped supply the fighters with food. 

Despite already risking her life for the cause of freedom, Muthoni wished to do more and thus became a soldier and attained the rank of field marshal. Due to the extreme conditions she was living in the forest, including harsh weather, Muthoni had two miscarriages which left her unable to have children.