Did you know due to biting poverty after 9 years in prison Kenyatta's first house was constructed through contributions by Kenyans? Did you know Kenyans bought him his first land after prison?
After he was released from prison,Kenyatta's return to politics was planned by the colonial govt.governor Renison facilated Kenyatta's return to politics on dec 1961 by amending Legco legislations that barred any person imprisoned for more than 2 years to participate in politics.
That law was amended to allow Kenyatta (who had struck a deal to protect the white settlers) to become the new prime minister after the second elections where KANU was poised to win for the second time.
When he arrived in Kiambu from detention, the people however saw the "same" Kenyatta emerging out of the prison,only that he had aged and had been driven into abject poverty due to imprisonment.
The people blindly saw the same daring Kenyatta who could not eat before they had eaten and for this reason Kenyans made every effort to make his new life outside prison as comfortable as possible.
A national effort was made to provide him with money, goats, sheep,cows and indigenous foods. All these were put together from across the country and delivered to his new home at ichaweri in Gatundu.
When he was at prison Kenyatta together with thousands of other detained Africans lost their lands.Their lands were used to reward home guards & others were used to erect public projects through colonial land consolidation programs of 1957-1959 when the detainees were in prison.
Kenyans stepped in to save their very much loved Kenyatta from embarrassment. They worked with the minority KADU govt (KANU had refused to form the govt until Kenyatta was released) to solicit for contributions for their hero Kenyatta.
In total, the people through their contributions bought the initial 2 acres of land at Ichaweri for Kenyatta and build a new residential house for him.They also bought a brand new car for him & parked it outside his new house.
It was now time for Kenyatta the saviour to decide on which side he would support.The choice was either to continue with the liberation of Kenyans from colonisation to genuine freedom & democracy or to become the servant of the same forces he had sworn to fight since 1921.
On 1st June 1963,Kenya attained first African self govt or madaraka govt. Some of the govt powers were transferred to the office of the prime minister,an office which Kenyatta now had occupied as the prime minister under govt notice G.N 2455 issued by governor Malcolm MacDonald.
Some of the powers that Kenyatta enjoyed in his new office were the powers of detention with the ultimate objective of preserving the status quo.
The first action Kenyatta did with that power was to appoint justice James Wicks,Joseph Ngurachu & Crispus Kiong'o to be members of the detainees appeal tribunal. It was like he knew he was going to detain his fellow Africans and for that reason he wanted a tribunal set for them.
As fate would turn to be, now Kenyatta was sitting in the same position that governor Barling sat when he signed his detention letter together with five others (the kapenguria 6)
The same Kenyatta who was detained and was seen to have learnt from the brutality meted on him by the colonists was now the same who was ready to pen down other freedom fighters (true freedom fighters) detention and restrictions orders under emergency colonial laws.
There was no difference between Kenyatta holding that office and the former occupants who oppressed fellow Africans.
On 23rd Oct 1963, the then minister for justice and constitution affairs one Thomas Joseph Mboya popularly known as Tom Mboya issued a legal notice number 678 that described Maumau fighters and the land freedom army as "a society dangerous to the good govt of Kenya".
With that decree the maumau fighters turned from liberators to terrorists in the eyes of jomo Kenyatta and his new govt.
The first casualty of those laws was Dinh Maalim Stamboul who was leading the northern Kenya people in calls for secession. He was arrested and detained at Kajiado district on 1st Nov 1963. To your shock the Detention approval was signed by jomo Kenyatta.
When Kenya gained full independence on 12th DEC 1964, news wafted from towns into the forests of mt Kenya & Nyandarua. Some of the freedom fighters reluctantly agreed to leave the forest & return to the open to go back home & rejoin their families or whatever was left of them.
On 14th of DEC 1964,less than 48 hours after independence the whole nation went to Ruringu stadium in Nyeri to witness the return of the defiant soldiers. On that day over 52,000 Kenyans were at Ruringu stadium with 2,200 of them being the freedom fighters
Some of the notable freedom fighters at the stadium were Field Marshall Mwariama Musa,Muthoni Ngatha, general Baimungi Marete Ekandi,general Kiugu and general Chui.
It is good to note that not all freedom fighters came out of the forest on that December of 1964 as they cited that Ruringu stadium ceremony as bizarre and uncalled for, others thought that even though freedom might have come.....
....,the white settled land they had fought for had not been returned to the rightful owners and for this reason some of the generals remained in the forest since they saw no genuine promise of African freedom.
The generals and freedom fighters decision to remain in the forest angered Kenyatta who issued a general 'amnesty' to all remaining fighters to surrender by 15th of January 1965,the deadline came and passed and none of the fighters budged.
Going back to 1963,Baimungi after leading a group to surrender at Ruringu stadium,he returned to his home district of Meru & on 17th he led other freedom fighters to surrender their arms at Kinoru stadium where he was received by top govt officials led by Jackson Angaine.
Later, Baimungi Marete and Angaine visited Jomo at his home in Kiambu and on that day,Baimungi was given five small flags and was promised that the govt would settle all freedom fighters on the land which was to be recovered or abandoned by the departing white settlers.
But this promise would go for months without being fulfilled an action which prompted Baimungi and his soldiers to go back to the forest and join others because they had now learnt there was no land for them.
Back in the forest, the fighters issued Kenyatta govt with the following demands and conditions for their return from forest.
1. That the govt should officially recognise the role of the maumau in the war of national liberation.
2. That those who were eligible should be appointed to work in the new civil service
3. That's the rights of the freedom fighters should be restored and landless Africans should be settled.
4. That those who were able bodied to be integrated in the new kenya army.
Kenyatta rejected all those demands out of hand. On 28th January of 1965 when the amnesty to surrender ended, the govt issued a statement on what they called "forest outlaws" (referring to maumau fighters).
The statement said that the govt had extended an amnesty but the fighters led by Baimungi had made demands which the govt was not willing to accept.the govt had sent its troops in the lower mt Kenya forest in Meru & when "terrorist" opened fire the govt forces killed some of them
It was in 1965 when the remaining top ranking Maumau leader who was kimathi's deputy was assassinated by Kenyatta govt. On that day,general Baimungi and General Chui were killed and their bodies paraded for three days at Kinoru stadium.
With people like Dedan Kimathi, General Baimungi Marete and others out of his way,Kenyatta proceeded to contain the maumau "threat" by even imprisoning former fighters who refused to tow the line.
Some of the people who openly opposed Kenyatta land policies includes
1. Field marshal Mwariama--- he was arrested by Kenyatta govt and jailed for 5 years.
2. Wanjohi wa Mung'au--- was imprisoned for 7 years for attempting to demand for land for freedom fighters.
3. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga--- he was crippled politically during the 1966 limuru conference by introducing 8 vice presidents.
4. J.M Kariuki--- he was assassinated in 1975 when he continued to buy land using his money and settling landless Africans.
Others include Achieng Oneko,Bildad Kaggia,Kungu Karumba ,paddy onyango,Kariuki Ngotho,Edward Oyugi etc etc.
By the time I completed writing this, it was hitting my mind that the family of general Baimungi who fought the British and home guards for over 13 years lives in a quarter acre farm at Katheri in Meru county.
The family of Dedan Kimathi is just surviving. That of Musa mwariama lives in a 15 acre farm at a Timau in Meru. The family of Chui, Mathenge, Matejagwo, China etc are even not remembered.
But surprisingly, the families of the collaborators,home guards and passive freedom fighters like Jomo Kenyatta, Koinange,Njonjo etc have large tracts of land at the expense of the freedom fighters who spent over ten years in the forest fighting for those lands.
