“Nguinira Kamaru Wa Wanjiru ií,
Na DK mwana Wa Wanja ií
Na Giceha Wa Wangari ií
Ona Nduru Wa Gathoni
Nií Rugwiti muciare ni Njeri…”

The above lyrics excerpt from Francis Rugwiti’s record ‘Ndigagukararia’, the artist pays homage to his fellow legendary troubadours referring them with their mothers name.

In early 70s, Daniel Kamau decided to pay homage to her mother ‘Mary Wanja’ and adopted the popular stage name ‘DK Wa Maria’; his friend Joseph Kamaru followed Kamau’s lead now alias Kamaaru Wa Wanjiru;

Associating with one’s mother seemed to align more on the Kikuyu culture with the mysticism of ‘Maitu’ entangled with the aboriginal Kikuyu name for one’s mother being Maitu with a literal meaning of ‘Our Truth’
derived from Ma~Truth Itu~Our Heritage; which basically means our mothers carry our ancestry na níkío kwíragúo múndú ní wa rúríra rwa nyína a deep notion that interlinks siblings to one umbilical cord in their mothers womb who connects them to their grandmother’s(mothers side) and on and on…

Also trickling down, when men were openly polygamous and had many wives, their children would be referred by their mother’s name to avoid confusion example if the first born of the first wife Wambui is Maina this will also dictate that the second wife, Wanjiru’s first born son will also be Maina, who is the father of the man of the homestead.

To differentiate between the two Maina guys, one will be referred to as Maina Wa Wambui and Maina Wa Wanjiru.

Many troubadours would adopt this naming style which sounds so cool and more African maybe as a way of celebrating ‘Maa iitu’ forever other than the single day set aside by the Western world dubbed mothers day otherwise we are Africans and we cannot allow a calendar to control us!

Maítú wíítú arí o Metúmí, kíbúí na tí múcií ngúkwíríra ageíthíke múno…