Mr. Koigi Wa Wamwere spent about 17 years in detention in
Has he been a victim of a questionable culture or did he commit an
unforgivable crime to Kenyans?
up in isolation. For many years after his death, Field Marshall Dedan
Kimathi had been forgotten. Not only had his history of his struggles to
free Kenyans from the Colonialists, faded in the minds of Kenyans, but
also his family he left behind, was totally forgotten. The name of dedan
Kimathi started to feature soon after the visit to Kenya, by President
Nelson Mandela on 3rd October 2005, when at a large gathering of Kenyans,
including the Kenyan President, he asked, “Where is the family of the late
Kenyan freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi?”. Had President Mandela not
questioned about the Kimathi family, Dedan Kimathi and his family would
have remained forgottenย up to this day.
late Tom Mboya, Kenneth Stanley Njindo Matiba, Charles Rubia, Ms Chelagat
Mutai, the late Bishop Alexander Kipsang Muge, Bishop Dr. Henry Okullu,
Rev. Dr. Timothy Njoya, Archbishop David Gitari, the late Prof. Wangare
Mathai, theย late Karimi Nduthu, the late Solomon Muruli, James Orengo,
the late George Anyona, Sifuna Sifuna, the late Martin Shikuku, the late
JM Kariuki, the late Paul Ngei, the late Fred Kubai, the late Bildad
Kagia, the late Kungu Karumba, numerous Mau Mau Heroes and many others,
become victims of the same fate?During Mashujaa Day (Hero’s Day) celebrations, none of the
Heroes names are mentioned. Kenyans everywhere in the World, for unknown
reasons, try as much as they can to avoid mentioning the names of their
Heroes. Since the introduction of the Mashujaa Day holiday, all the
events that have been taking place, have always been unrelated to either
remembrance of the Kenyan heroes or the mention of their names. The
Mashujaa Day holidays, haveย always been converted toย family and/or
friends get together and other unrelated functions. What Kenyans have
failed to realize and understandย is that their actions have hurt,
annoyed and disappointed God.
When people pray for help from God in times of grief, God does
not descend from Heaven physically, to attend to their agony and suffering,
in answer to their prayers. Instead he chooses a few among them, and uses
them to provide his help. Therefore, while in their struggles to free
others, those chosen ones are always in service to God.
Disowning them is therefore disowning God, and abandoning them
is abandoning God who choose them. Have Kenyans therefore, been in
confrontation with God when they disown and abandon their Heroes? Do they
offend God in any way when they disown and abandon the very people who
sacrifice to die in the struggles to free them?
Kenyans have had an extremely horrible culture of abandoning
and forgetting those among them who fight hard to save others during both
economic and political hard and difficult times. Just like those before
and after him, Mr Koigi Wa Wamwere’s worst crime was that of becoming a
Victim of this horrible culture. Until this day, there is no known crime
ofย the magnitude to warrant his fate, and unless someone or some people
somewhere come out to provide any information leading to a crime committed
by Mr. Koigi Wa Wamwere, he remains a clean Kenyan Hero, just like all
other forgotten Kenyan Horoes.
Heroes Day (Mashujaa Day) holiday, was set aside to honor and
to rememberย those who sacrificed and stood firm to defend Kenyans in
times of real crisis. It is a day to remember Kenyan Heroes, dead nor
alive. If Mashujaa Day (Heroes Day) as it is today, cannot be used to
serve the purpose for which it was formed, it should be deleted from the
list of Kenya holidays, or have its name changed to suite the purpose
for which it is being used today. Otherwise, Kenyans should respect
and honor both the Kenyan heroes and the Heroes Day ( Mashujaa Day).
Isaac Newton Kinity.
