General Gitau Matejagwo was martyred as he fearlessly engaged in a war to regain our heritage; land and freedom…

“…Hindi iria mubia amenyire Matejagwo ni arikinyia kuo,abataritio ni mutwe wake ukahurirwo mbica mutitu…”

“Kuuma Muthithi na Kariara, johnny ciambata maguru ciaigwa Gitau Matejagwo arigiciirio ni Kamatimu” 

General Matenjagwo born Gítaú Wa Ng’ang’a came from Location 5, Maria-iní near Naaro in Kandara Division, Murang’a District.

Matenjagwo was a prominent fighter, spiritual leader and an oath administrator and a number of Mau Mau songs were sung praising him as a servant of the people.

Kuuma Muthithi na Kariara,
Mutungatiri Wa Itungati,
Niwe Gitau Matejagwo;
Niwe warehithitie mbica…

April, 1953 when the actual war began in Murang’a, Gitau Matenjagwo and his lieutenant Kago Wa Mboko unleashed the Batuni oath and administered it mainly to all young men and girls.

On 12th June 1953, Gitau was promoted to General Gitau Matejagwo at mbuci ya Mwathe

Before the end of the year 1953, the Mau Mau fighters under Gitau Matenjagwo had attacked Chomo and Ndakaini Home Guard Posts, they had overrun Kanderendu, they had waged two big battles in Mununga, they had attacked Kigumo and had killed many members of the colonial forces. They had waged successful battles in Kangema where they were engaged by the 4 Kenya Regiment soldiers. At the end of the year they turned to Gakurwe and Mununga ridge where the biggest battles were fought. These two areas were immediately declared prohibited areas.

The Legendary General Matenjagwo was killed with his 3 comrades on 22 December 1953 at Kariti Kandara during a stopover on their way to Thika to attend a meeting and collect war ammunitions, after his death Captain Kago and Ihuura were promoted to Generals

…The following morning we travelled to the Location 2 mbuci.
After two weeks, Captain Kago came, accompanied by three hundred fighters armed with two hundred guns and many grenades, some of them home made.

Captain Kago held a general meeting and told us that he had learned of the death of Matenjagwo not with surprise but with great bitterness.

‘I came to tell you,’ he said, ‘that although General Matenjagwo has been killed, you should not relent in your fight for our freedom. You should in fact redouble your efforts and fight with greater courage than before.’ He explained that as a result of the death of Matenjagwo, the fighters had elected both Colonel Ihuura and himself generals. He had left Ihuura in Kikuyuni commanding three hundred fighters…

Of the most epic memoir;

On the fateful day, General Matenjagwo organised us into three groups. The first group under Corporal Gicobe was responsible for covering the approaches where bridges had been blown up so that when government personnel carriers brought reinforcements and toppled into unbridged rivers or were otherwise grounded, they could engage in battle.

The second group was placed under the command of Corporal Mukubu to cover the approaches where felled trees and boulders strewn on the road would ground any government relief troops who would be similarly engaged.

I myself was in the third group led by General Matenjagwo and we were responsible for attacking the camp itself. In this third group were to be found all the leaders including Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi, Major-General Mbaria wa Kaniu, Brigadier Njatu wa Gakure, Colonel Ndungu wa Giceru and Sergeant Kago.

We moved off and arrived safely on the scene of battle. When we attacked, the women in the neighbourhood hailed our arrival with ululations which went on throughout the fight. We fought with such courage and determination that in no time we had made a breach in the defences and entered the camp.

On entry, we released the prisoners, and as we had already captured seven government soldiers, we asked the prisoners about the soldiers’ conduct. They said they had been cruel and beastly as they had beaten them savagely interrogating them. When we heard this, we chopped them up to pieces until they were not only dead, but very dead indeed.

The battle raged on until government forces took to flight; some of our soldiers pursued them while others went to raid the shops. Two lorries that were lying idle there were commandeered and started and as the running battle continued, eight lorry-loads of goods, including two sewing machines, were transported to the forest edge.

The Field Marshal and General Matenjagwo ordered a count of all government personnel we had killed. On taking the count, we found no fewer than twenty corpses of government soldiers. By this time, government forces had been completely routed and had been scattered in all directions. There was therefore nothing more to do but to round up as booty the cattle, sheep and goats of government loyalists and to start our journey back to base.

As we prepared to go, those we had released entreated us to go with them as they feared they would be massacred in revenge by government forces if left in Kikuyuini. We took them with us and marched off towards the forest.

On arrival at the forest edge, armed fighters were detailed to take up positions and cover our retreat. When we reached the Location 1 mbuci, some of the loot was left there. But the people we had rescued accompanied us to the Location 2 mbuci which was also known as the Irati mbuci as it was situated at the head waters of Irati River.

Excerpts from We Fought For Freedom, Gucu G. Gikoyo