Untold History; The Story of Mekatilili wa Menza

Learn more on history of mekatilili wa menza, What happened to Mekatilili WA Menza?, and What did Mekatilili wa Menza prophecy?

Mekatilili wa Menza

Table of Contents

•  Historia ya Mekatilili wa Menza
• Where was Mekatilili WA Menza deported?
• What happened to Mekatilili WA Menza?

 Historia ya Mekatilili wa Menza

It is unimaginable to talk about the history of the armed struggle for freedom in Kenya without mentioning Mekatilili wa Menza ', perhaps Kenya's first freedom fighter.

Born in Mtsarea wa Tsatsu in Ganze Division of County Kilifi around 1850, her name was Minyazi wa Menza. She had four brothers and one sister.

One day, Mekatilili accompanied his brothers to a shopping mall frequented by Swahili and Giriama Arab traders. Here grain, knives, clothing, ornaments and even ivory were traded. The exact date of this departure is unknown, but it is thought to have taken place in the early 1870s.

That day, a group of Arab slave traders attacked his brother, Kithi, and took him prisoner, managing to overcome the physical resistance of their captive's younger brothers, led by Mekatilili, who was crying and hysterical.

From that day on, Mekatilili was wary of any non-native visitor. His kidnapping incident reminded him of the ominous prophecy of Mepoho, a seer from Giriama.

Mepoho, who came from Kaloleni, had prophesied the arrival of strangers "with hair as white as sisal fibers". These foreigners, she further warned, would travel in flying craft and lead to the destruction of local traditions.

The prophecy came true with the arrival of the Uganda Railway in 1896.

When agents of the British Empire for East Africa (IBEA), regents of the British government, began raiding the villages of Giriama in search of porters and other laborers, they were met with a strong resistance from the inhabitants, who were inspired by Mekatilili and Wanje wa Mwandorikola. . The duo belonged to the Kavuta age group which was in power between 1870 and 1906.

Mekatilili established a system of government in which Wanje acted as the leader.

However, the Giriama saw in Mekatilili the natural inspiration of a leader. She became more famous after confronting a white colonial official at a meeting to pacify the Giriama, who had rebelled against certain conditions the IBEA had imposed on indigenous peoples.

For example, the IBEA prohibited residents from drinking palm wine, which the Giriama considered one of their delicacies. The Giriama also learned that the IBEA was considering planting rubber and cotton plantations near the Sabaki River.

The situation worsened when the IBEA imposed a cabin tax. This coincided with the start of World War I activities in East Africa. The British also desperately needed porters to help transport war material, food and other logistical goods to the front lines in German East Africa (Tanganyika). Consequently, there were attempts to recruit young people from Giriama.

A skilled orator and mobilizer, Mekatilili used the Kifudu dance (performed during funeral rites) to inspire her community to resist conscription. She swore to her followers that they would not cooperate with the white man in any way, and that included not paying property tax.

Early historians report an incident that took place in 1913. British administrators held a meeting with the Giriama people, asking them to join the British army.

Mekatilili reportedly burst into the same meeting armed with a hen and chicks. She used the hen and chicks to show IBEA leaders how she, as a mother, would deal with them if a child was taken from her by Giriama. The leaders of the IBEA were headed by a certain Arthur Champion.

She challenged Champion to snatch a chick from the angry mother hen, who angrily pecked it.

Mekatilili would have warned Champion: "If you dare to take one of our children, here is how we will react!"

Overwhelmed with humiliation, Champion pulled out a gun and shot the mother hen. Mekatilili reacted angrily and landed surprise punches.

At this point, members of the IBEA delegation opened fire, indiscriminately killing the hordes of villagers present.

Where was Mekatilili WA Menza deported?

Mekatilili and Wanje were quickly apprehended and detained. They were sent to Kisii, near Victoria Nyanza, where they were arrested.

After six months, in January 1914, the two men managed to escape from prison and inexplicably walked to Kilifi, a distance of about 700 km.

When the colonialists finally learned of the prison break, they retaliated by attacking the civilian population. Dozens of men, women and children were killed and livestock captured.

Food reserves that the Giriama kept in granaries were also burned.

In Kaloleni, the battle intensifies. Known supporters of Mekatilili have been arrested and imprisoned or killed. Fundo wa Nyama was one of the victims.

The British made propaganda, claiming that Mekatilili was a witch.

All the while, she and Wanje were hiding, but in the shadows they were encouraging their tribesmen to resist.

As the war of World War I raged between the British and Germans in Tanganyika, the former desperately sought to quell the Giriama rebellion once and for all. They were wary of distractions in their own backyards when they had a more formidable European enemy to fight.

Then, on October 14, 1914, the Giriama were taken to take part in a “peace march”.

During the "peace talks", the British demanded that Giriama pay for resisting British rule. Some historians claim that the fines amounted to 3,300 goats and 10,000 rupees.

Moreover, the Giriama were asked not only to deliver the leaders of the rebellion, but also to move away from the banks of the Sabaki.

The elders of Giriama flatly rejected the terms.

In the days that followed, the British retaliated by killing no less than 600 inhabitants. Entire villages and food granaries were set on fire by British officers, while Kaya Fungo, which was a sacred Giriama shrine, was bombed and destroyed.

Amid the resistance, Mekatilili would sometimes come out of hiding to inspire her people, telling them to ignore the propaganda that she was a witch. Kaya's spirits, she reminded her followers, were all after Wagiriama.

What happened to Mekatilili WA Menza?

However, she and Wanje were recaptured in August 1914 and sent to British Somaliland (Kismayu) where they were imprisoned.

Despite the couple's capture, Giriama suffered guerrilla attacks from the British for weeks.

In 1919, Mekatilili again escaped captivity in Kismayu. Despite her age, she returned to Kilifi.

Perhaps concluding that she had aged too much, the colonialists decided to leave her alone.

She died in the 1920s of natural causes and was buried at Bungale Ulaya kwa Jele, where the Mekatilili wa Menza cultural festival is held every year.

Mekatilili's sense of love for her people, her determination and her courage epitomize the hardworking spirit of many African mothers. This message pays tribute to the heroism of Mekatilili and applauds mothers in Kenya.

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