Both Njiiri and Murai experienced the wrath of Maumau nationalists who were seeking to eliminate them for their unwavering support to the imperialists. Njiiri loathed the Itungati’s who had given him sleepless nights with numerous raids which one had claimed the life of his beloved son, its for this reason he mounted public address systems on a plane when General Kago was martyred and went around Forthall celebrating his death and intimidating Kago’s followers as captured in Kamaru’s song
“Túri o haú ndege igiuka ituikaniirie marigu-ini ikianagirira ati Kago ni mukuú…”
Njiiri’s home was near the Nyandarua forest and was at the first line of defense against the ravaging Maumau rebellion unlike his counterpart Chief Ignatius Murai better known as Inyathio who was overseeing the colonial activities in Location 8 of Forthall, Mugoiri.
Chief Inyathio had quite an easy time containing Maumau menace; terrain coming to his advantage-
Location 8 was centrally located ‘land locking’ it from the forest which was strategic for guerilla warfare adopted by Maumau; To the East was Weithaga, West was Kigumo, Kanyenya-ini & Nginda to the North and South respectively.
In Maumau warfare strategy, conducting raids and open combat in such an open area would mean taking total risk and hard to return to their mbuci’s and its for this reason Murai wasn’t really affected by the uprising.
H.M Kariuki captured this in his Mwomboko track ‘Githina Kwa Inyathio’
“Gíkí ní gíthína ní gíthína na kínyamaríko, ta kíngí ndíronire kwa Inyathio, Kwa Inyathio gukiíha kwambiriire ítínga mútírírí”
Chief Inyathio rose to power in January 1946 after the death of chief Muriranja, he was equally loathed as Njiiri and was captured in some other Kikuyu liberation Memorial songs which seem to curse and paint him in an infamous picture.
In one of the Maumau songs composed by the fighters in memory of the 95 recruits(muito wa Kayahwe)who were ambushed and killed at
the banks of river Kayahwe in location 8 enroute to Nyandarua mbuci led by General Ihuura and Kago, in the chant the liberators castigate Location 8 and its leader Inyathio
“… Twaríkia gúkinya kwa Inyathio
Thíina úría twoneire kwa Inyathio
Gútiri witú úkaheyana
Kayahwe ní rúí rúru ma,
Rwathiriire njamba ciitú…”
In Mukaramani’s memorial song ” Múito Wa Kayahwe”
he narrates his treacherous escapade in Mugoiri at the height of state of emergency where he met a brazen lass and left off with her to Githiga in a hide and seek mission with the home guards
“Nikio itendaga ukinyuma ikuhi, ndaririkana mitego yothe twarugire tukiuma kwa Inyathio gukinya gwitu darling ni ngwendete
…“Murata wakwa ni ngwendete,
Ndakurutire kwanyu Mugoiri hindi ya múito wa Kayahwe …”
