THE WEAVER BIRD
She was born Muthoni Whihuini in Nairutia, a small village in Kenya. At the time of her birth, the country was under British colonial rule.
She was part of the Kikuyu, Kenya’s largest ethnic group.
Whilst she was still very little, her family moved to Karing’u, hoping to find a better life. The journey there was fifteen kilometres and they had only one small donkey that carried all of their possessions, so they had to walk most of the way.
In Karing’u, Muthoni learned about Christianity in a local missionary’s tent – and became fascinated by it. She said she converted at the age of eight.
Aged just ten, she killed a rhinoceros that was attacking her father’s goats.
Muthoni, along with all of her family and friends, were victims of racism from the ruling, minority white community. Muthoni witnessed some appalling incidents of violence, particularly to women.
This fuelled her determination to support the independence movement that was growing throughout Kenya.
In 1941, Muthoni was working as a labourer on the farm of a white settler, when, she met the cook Mutungi Gichuhi, who was to become her husband.
After they married, the couple left the farm and moved to the edge of Nyeri. There, Muthoni became a trader, and her husband found another job as a cook.
In 1952, an uprising broke out. The bid for independence was led by the ‘Kenya Land and Freedom Army’ – who were colloquially known as the Mau Mau. The movement were based in the central part of Kenya.
They were fighting for freedom against their oppressors – the British. As they were a guerilla movement, and illegal, they hid in the forests of Kenya.
Muthoni secretly joined the Mau Mau in 1953 but did not tell her husband. As a trader, she constantly moved from place to place, acting as a courier, taking information to and from the guerillas.
Shortly afterwards, her husband Mutungi decided to join up, so she could finally share her secret. They slaughtered a goat and shared it with friends and family as a celebration – and then Mutungi disappeared into the forest to fight.
Muthoni did not see him again for another eleven years. He rose to become a General in the Mau Mau.
The day after Mutungi had gone, soldiers of Chief Muhoya, the African Colonial Chief, came to arrest him. Muthoni told them he had gone to get some eggs.
Three days later, the soldiers returned and they savagely assaulted her. “I was beaten up. They kicked me with their boots until I could hardly move.”
She then realised that passive resistance was not enough and decided to join the guerillas. Muthoni left her home and went into the forest. It took her over a week to find any fighting men.
At that point, she decided to grow her hair and not cut it until full independence had been achieved – and the benefits to the native people were evident. She had dreadlocks – a symbol of freedom in Africa.
Initially, Muthoni was a non-combatant. She did the cooking (although meat was rare, and they usually survived on herbs and roots), looked after the sick and obtained ammunition from the markets.
At this point, Muthoni became pregnant, but she had a miscarriage. It meant she could never have children again. She conceded, “The forest was obviously not the place to bear children.”
Soon, it became evident that she was a real sharp-shooter, better than many of the men. Muthoni was also noted for her quick thinking under pressure and her superb organisational abilities. She was put in charge of her own platoon of soldiers.
She would walk hundreds of miles to collect weapons from neighbouring Ethiopia.
Muthoni became the first female officer in the Mau Mau – a groundbreaker.
She was injured on two occasions in the fighting. Once, she got a bullet in the hand and on another occasion a bullet grazed her eye, leaving her needing medical treatment.
Another female veteran, interviewed in 2015, said, “There was one woman called Muthoni. I was with her. She feared nothing. She used to go to war with men because she did not fear. She was a dangerous woman – even men feared her.”
Muthoni was nicknamed ‘Nyona Wa Thonjo’ (The Weaver Bird), for her ability to get out of any dangerous situation.
The Weaver Bird is known for its ability to move in and out of trees.
Muthoni received regular promotions, not just for her military capabilities but as a leading army medic. She rose to achieve Field Marshal status.
Throughout her eleven years of fighting, she was never captured.
The Mau Mau rebellion ended in 1960 and three years later, Kenya was granted independence. The first president was Jomo Kenyatta.
Throughout the struggle, the British had imprisoned 80,000 people and hanged over a thousand – all without trial. 1.2 million people had been displaced from their homes. However, there were atrocities carried out by both sides.
As soon as Kenyatta took power, he criminalized the Mau Mau. This is known in Kenya as ‘The Betrayal’.
Many former fighters gave up their arms. Muthoni was one of the few who did not. With a small group of soldiers, she stayed in the forest. Some of them refused to believe the struggle for independence was over.
Eventually, the newly formed Kenyan army forced their surrender.
Along with twenty other guerillas, Muthoni was driven in a truck to Nyeri’s Ruring’u Stadium where they handed in their weapons of war – pistols, guns, machetes, knives and even loincloths.
Many of the guerillas, released from the armed struggle, were left without jobs or money and struggled to adapt to life away from the forest.
Muthoni and Mutungi were prime examples of this. They had no money and no home to live in. Very quickly, they divorced.
“I emerged from the forest after eleven years but was never given even an inch of land. I have nothing to show for those years, not even a needle.”
Still, Muthoni refused to cut her hair. For her, the struggle wasn’t over.
She went to visit the Mayor of Nairobi, with no appointment. “When I walked into his office, I didn’t first talk to him, I just lay down on the mat. He rose up and asked me what my problem was. I told him I was not going to leave until he gave me a place to stay, and if none was available he was to leave me sleeping on his office mat as he went home.”
A house in the suburbs of Nyeri was found immediately for her. It was where she lived until she died.
Her husband, General Mutungi, died in 1965.
Unable to have children of her own, Muthoni began to adopt orphans.
In 1966, she was given a licence to trade in ivory. During their armed struggle, the Mau Mau had killed many elephants for food. They hid the ivory. Muthoni was one of the few who knew where it was all hidden. Therefore, she had a plentiful supply of the commodity.
This license lasted until 1976, when the ivory trade was banned in Kenya.
Muthoni put a lot of her money into providing education for poor children in Kenya.
In 1990, Muthoni became a County Councillor in Nyeri and she set up her own security firm.
Despite having a reputation for being fierce, those who knew and loved her, said she was a funny, witty woman – who was never afraid to ‘tell it like it is’. Muthoni was a commanding presence – and a fabulous storyteller.
In 2003, the Mau Mau were finally recognised and decriminalised. As a reward, each former fighter was given free medical treatment for life.
President Daniel Arap Moi awarded Muthoni a medal in 2008 for ‘distinguished service.’ She was not very impressed with him. “I dined with the president, but I never got the assistance I expected. I waited in vain to see how he would help us.”
A later president, Uhuru Kenyatta, gave her the Head of State Commendation in 2014.
In 2022, Muthoni decided true freedom had been achieved in her homeland and decided to cut her hair. By now, her dreadlocks were over six-feet long.
She chose Mama Ngina Kenyatta to shave her head. Mama was the wife of President Jomo, and the mother of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Some newspapers claimed Mama Ngina had ordered Muthoni to have her hair cut. Mama refuted this, claiming it had been a real honour to be chosen for the ceremonial cutting.
Muthoni died in her home, aged 92.
She was the last surviving female guerilla from the Mau Mau’s armed struggle.
Councillor Sheik Uledi Majjid said, “In Field Marshal Muthoni Wa Kirima’s demise, I have lost a close friend, colleague and confidante.”
On a recent visit to Kenya, shortly after Muthoni’s death, King Charles acknowledged the Mau Mau rebellion was, “A painful struggle for independence and sovereignty.”
RIP – Ruthless, Independence Pioneer
