Gachagua Wants Kenyatta Family to Surrender Half of Their Land to Mau Mau Fighters

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta to surrender part of the family’s land to Mau Mau fighters who are living in poverty.

Gachagua, who spoke in Nyeri on Friday, applauded Mama Ngina for recognizing the efforts of Mau Mau freedom fighters, adding that she should surrender half of their land to them.

“I saw yesterday some people recognizing Mau Mau and am a son of Mau Mau fighter and we welcome the move however they should know that even if it’s sixty years after independence they should surrender half of their land which was meant for them, but they stole to them,” Gachagua stated.

The deputy president spoke a day after Mama Ngina hosted Field Marshal Muthoni wa Kirima and her family at her Muthaiga home.

Muthoni, 93, thanked Mama Ngina for buying her a house and clearing a bank loan of Sh4.7 million. She gifted the former first lady goats, pot, a three-legged stool, a traditional tray, a kiondo (African basket), and food from her shamba.

The nonagenarian also expressed her gratitude to Mama Ngina 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.

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.