09/11/2019
..His real name was Muriuki Kimotho. Muriuki means one who has risen from the dead. He was known by that name until the beginning of the Emergency. But during the Mau Mau war of liberation he adopted the combat name of General Tanganyika.
From 1940 to 1948 Muriuki worked for the NAAFI in Nanyuki. He was accused of theft by his European employer and imprisoned for 18 months. Muriuki contended that the accusation was false and the imprisonment not warranted.
After his release from prison, he worked as a farm labourer for a white farmer in Nyeri. In early 1951, he left his employment and joined the Mau Mau movement. He became a leading personality in the oath administration in his location. After the declaration of a State of Emergency, he with other leaders from his home area started recruiting young men to go into the forest and wage a guerilla war against the Colonial Government.
Early in May 1953 Muriuki left the Mathira reserve and joined the Mau Mau in the Mt. Kenya forest. At the time he entered the forest he held no position of importance in the Mau Mau hierarchy. He aligned himself with the Hika Hika Battalion of General China. During the later part of 1953 he participated in many raids on security guard posts in Mathira Division as well as in raids on European farms in the Nanyuki area. His usefulness as a leader began to be noticed. He was sent out to the Nyeri reserve on recruiting missions and often he returned to the forest with a big number of volunteers, with arms, ammunition, food and clothing.
By December 1953, Muriuki had come into prominence among the Mau Mau in the Mt. Kenya forest. Before the end of the year General China promoted him to the rank of "General". From that day onwards he was to be known as General Tanganyika. His area of operation became the western part of the Magutu location of Nyeri. He also covered the area between Nyeri and Nanyuki.
On Sunday night, July 1953 Tanganyika commanded a group of Mau Mau freedom fighters for an attack on Sagana Royal Lodge. The Lodge, a bungalow residence on the slopes of Mt. Kenya had been given by the Colony to Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh as a wedding present. The attack was carried out at about 9 o'clock in the evening. Heavy fire was exchanged by the freedom fighters and the caretakers of the Lodge. Before they withdrew the Mau Mau greatly damaged the Queen's wedding present.
Six days later General Tanganyika with about 300 freedom fighters attacked Kanyotta Trading Centre. The trading centre was situated very near the Sagana Royal Lodge. The raid was aimed at securing food and clothing for his followers, and at the same time routing out a loyalist Home Guard post which had been erected in the area.
On the day of the attack Tanganyika held a meeting with other leaders of the various sections of his company. By a show of hands they all agreed to attack the trading centre. Tanganyika then picked out leaders from his company who were to go with him on the raid. They included "Doctor Wimbe", Brigadier Njege and Sergeant Major Konyeki. The company was divided into two sections. One section was led by General Tanganyika himself and the other one by "Captain Kamwamba" of the Kenya Liberation Army. The first section was to attack the Home Guard post and set their houses on fire. The second one was to break into the shops and carry whatever they could take with them. Tanganyika told another leader, General Chui to send people from the Hika Hika company to two villages near by and set fire to the Home Guard houses.
The attack began at about 8.30 in the evening just as the loyalist guards were preparing to go to bed. The guards' post was attacked first. All of a sudden and without any warning General Tanganyika with about 300 armed freedom fighters broke into the camp compound after cutting down the barbed wire fence erected around the fortified post.
On entry Tanganyika called in a loud voice and said: "The Mau Mau are coming. This is General Tanganyika". Turning to his men he gave such orders as: "Company, fire!" He shouted in the darkness and told his men that the Home Guard bullets were like water. After some of the buildings had been set alight he gave orders that all houses be set on fire.
Some of his men broke into the loyalist shops. They took away food and clothing and burned down the buildings. They also set fire to a school nearby. Thirty of the loyalist Home Guards were captured and taken to the forest. Many of the loyalists died in the attack. Altogether 160 prisoners held in the camp were released. The camp Headman, Kabogo Kamare survived the attack and had later to act as a prosecution witness of the raid..
Six Mau Mau Generals
Paul Maina, 1977
