NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has paid tribute to General Kiambati wa Njora, a Mau Mau freedom fighter from Nyandarua County, describing him as part of a generation that bore immense sacrifice to secure Kenya’s independence from British colonial rule.
In a statement on Monday, Gachagua said he had received news of the veteran’s death with “great pain and sad memories” of the liberation struggle, recalling Nyandarua’s central role in the Mau Mau uprising of the 1950s.
“General Kiambati hailed from Nyandarua County, the home of the indefatigable fighters during the Mau Mau violent struggle to end the British colonial rule and land reclamation in Kenya,” Gachagua said.
He placed Kiambati among a pantheon of renowned freedom fighters, including Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi, Mukami Kimathi, General China (Waruhiu Itote), General Mwariama, General Mathenge, General Mbaria, General Kubu Kubu, General Tanganyika, and General Baimungi.
“They fought bare hands as bombs, bullets and other modern warfare weapons rained on them,” he said. “They liberated our country. We got freedom.”
He also invoked the painful legacy of the Lari Massacre, one of the most violent episodes of the Emergency period, accusing colonial-aligned home guards and collaborators of betraying fellow Africans.
“As the General rests, we shall never forget the Lari Massacre and the role played by homeguards and traitors to aid the British insurgency on the Mau Mau,” Gachagua said. “They betrayed their fellow Africans for a penny, a piece of cloth and praise.”
Gachagua’s remarks revive long-standing debates over historical justice, collaboration during the colonial era, and the recognition of Mau Mau veterans—many of whom lived and died without formal compensation or state acknowledgment.
Kenya officially recognised the Mau Mau as freedom fighters in 2003, decades after independence, following sustained advocacy by veterans and civil society groups. In 2013, the British government agreed to compensate more than 5,000 Kenyan victims of colonial-era abuses, including torture and detention, marking a major milestone in historical accountability.
Gachagua framed Kiambati’s death as a reminder of unfinished struggles, warning against what he described as modern forms of domination.
“May the tree of freedom they fought for never dry, even in the modern-day change of colonial hands from white to black strongmen,” he said.
The DCP leader offered condolences to Kiambati’s family and the people of Nyandarua County, calling for the country to honour the sacrifices of liberation heroes.
“May Almighty God have mercy on General Kiambati and other Generals for the sacrifice they made for Kenya against all odds and rest their souls in eternal peace,” he said. “Go well, General Kiambati.”
