Man Recalls Day Kenyatta Sent Him Thank You Letter

The government can manage to pay halm a million to mps on monthly basis whilst most of the forgotten heroes of yesteryears live in squalor................what a shame that the governments has terribly failed its heroes. Hopefully, President Uhuru Kenyatta will walk the talk.  

The people newspaper-Kenya

SUNDAY, 5 MAY, 2013

Holding a letter he received from the first president of Kenya, a former Mau Mau veteran feels the government has failed yesteryears heroes who fought colonialists to liberate the country. Dominic Mahiuha Nduguya worked as a cook for at a white man’s ranch where he earned Sh40 a month. Earlier he worked at the Lanet Army Camp where he used to smuggle medicine, uniform and guns to Mau Mau fighters. “For five years beginning 1952, I relayed information and other necessities to the fighters. I was their link to the outside world. During the 1954 war, my brother General Mahiuha was ambushed and killed while he had come to collect the supplies.”

The 87-year-old man brags of having meet former president Jomo Kenyatta severally and interacting with former First Lady Ngina Kenyatta. It was during one of their casual meeting that Mahiuha gave his home address to Kenyatta. Born in 1926 at Sugunui (Soysambu) farm at the expansive Delamere Estate, he started working at an early age for a white settler whom he referred to Dr Brown. He later moved to Malindi after his employer opened a tourist hotel. It was during a tour to Maralal with tourists visiting Maralal Hills to see elephants that Dr Brown informed him that ‘his god lives there’ referring to Mzee Kenyatta.

First encounter

“On my way to purchase cigarettes with my colleagues at Maralal trading centre, I passed by the president’s residence and I cautiously waved at him. He then told Mama Ngina to call me,” Mahiuha said. “I walked to where Mzee Kenyatta and his wife were playing with two of their children and introduced myself. After he learnt who I was and my role in the war for liberation, we planned to meet later. “My boss wanted to know what we discussed and I assured him it was just a gentlemen’s chat and as such there was nothing to worry about. He then requested to come with me in my next meeting with the Kenyatta.” We meet the following day and Dr Brown informed Kenyatta that he was part of them missionaries who founded Thogoto Church and Hospital. We stayed in Maralal for two weeks and over this time I used to meet Kenyatta at a certain shoe maker’s shop and discussed various things. Later in the years, I received a letter in 1963 from the man who was later to become Kenya’s first president. In his letter Kenyatta had requested for Sh5 to cater for independence celebrations,” Mahiuha said.

Introductions

Mahiuha showed this writer the letter of appreciation he received from Kenyatta. It was printed on a Kenya Africa National Union letterhead and addressed to Ndunguya Mahiuha. It read… ningependa kukujulisha ya kwamba zile shilling tano ambazo ulinitumia iliziweze kusaidia katika kusherehekea Uhuru wetu tulipigania kwa nguvu nyingi zilinifikia….” He also says Dedan Kimathi was his cousin. With years gone and having played a role in the country’s independence struggle, the government has terribly failed its heroes, most of whom live in squalor. Mahiuha is optimistic the new government, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta will walk the talk and guard his name ‘Uhuru’ by appreciating the freedom fighters. “My Sh5 was used to construct the tallest building Kenyatta International Conference Centre and I am proud of it but nothing has been done to compensate me for my sacrifice.” Mahiuha said.