Photograph of Senior Chief WaruhiuPhoto courtesy of Esther Nyamweru Munene, a daughter of Chief Waruhiu.

Although Waruhiu was a wealthy and powerful chief when he died in 1952, he had a humble beginning as he was born into a poor and landless family. His wealth was, however, not acquired by selling his country to the British. This book illustrates how he rose from obscurity to prominence by exploiting the colonial system for his own social and economic advancement. He began his collaboration by...

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Although Kenya became a British protectorate in 1895, it was not until after the turn of the twentieth century that effective British administration began to take shape. The completion of the Kenya-Uganda railroad in 1901 precipitated an influx of white settlers from 1902 onwards. That led to the establishment of administrative units and centers for the administration of Europeans and Africans....

Senior Chief Waruhiu was born in 1890 in Kimathi Sub-location, Ruiru Location, Githunguri Division, Kiambu District.His year of birth is derived from government records. See Visit of Africans to the United Kingdom, 1948, KNA:...

The years 1917–1922 were fundamental and momentous to Waruhiu’s life because his star began to rise and to shine with a brilliance that would not wane until his death. Waruhiu began to involve himself in the affairs and welfare of his district by associating and collaborating with the district and provincial administration. That eventually paved the way for his transition from a...

Waruhiu was appointed chief in 1922 at the age of thirty-two and he served the colonial government for thirty years. He was chief of Ruiru Location from 1922 to 1952, Githunguri divisional chief from 1930 to 1952, and senior chief of Kiambu District from 1951 until his death in 1952. The government never regretted his appointment as he turned out to be a loyal chief who faithfully served the...

Chief Waruhiu’s close working relationship with the colonizers alienated many of his people who considered him a tool and a stooge of the white man. Waruhiu very often failed to read the mood of the people and if he did, he ignored it. That was often true whenever there was a crisis that pitted the people against the government. He would never do anything that could antagonize the...

Waruhiu served for nine three-year terms as a councilor of Kiambu LNC from 1925 to 1952. He was an elected councilor for Githunguri Division from 1925 to 1940 and a nominated councilor thereafter. The LNCs were established in 1925 to give Africans...

It is difficult to draw a line between Waruhiu’s personal and public life since the two were intertwined to a certain extent. What happened in his private life sometimes affected his public life and vice versa. The government also expected him to be an example for his people to emulate towards change and modernity and he could only demonstrate this by what he did in his private life. His...

There was unprecedented lawlessness, violence, terrorism, and insecurity on the eve of Waruhiu’s assassination. Murders, arson, burglary, thefts, cattle maiming, crop destruction, and oath-taking were very common. These had given rise to an atmosphere of uneasiness, restlessness, anxiety and mounting tension which was more evident in Nairobi, central Kenya, and the White Highlands. There was...

“KIKUYU LEADER SLAIN.” That was the headline...

The police were under a lot of pressure to arrest and charge the perpetrators of Waruhiu’s murder. Several experienced CID officers from Uganda and Tanganyika were temporarily seconded to Kenya to assist the CID.East African Standard,...

The reputation of Kenya’s colonial chiefs has been controversial, and that of Senior Chief Waruhiu has not been an exception. During the colonial times, chiefs were highly valued functionaries by the colonial authorities while they were scorned by most of their people. In post-independence Kenya, they were...

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Dr. Evanson N. Wamagatta earned his PhD degree in history at West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia. He received his MA and BA degrees from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Wamagatta has worked as a lecturer and tutorial fellow at the University of Nairobi where he taught history. He is currently an associate professor of history at Biola University, La Mirada, California.