Cinda Reri

Wamuyu wa Gakuru was a freedom fighter of truly remarkable mettle. Throughout her involvement with the Mau Mau movement, she remained steadfast in championing the participation of women. Through trials and tribulations, her perseverance shone through and saw her through some of the most harrowing battles for independence on Kenyan soil. Her daring decisions, unwavering dedication and whole-hearted resolve for an independent Kenya make her an important historical figure. 

The beginnings of a warrior 

In 1934, at the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Anna Wamuyu Kabubi was born to Mundu Gakuru and Thigia Gakuru. At this village of Kariuthi in Nyeri District, her father Mundu was a subsistence farmer who grew coffee, fruits and vegetables and her mother Thigia was a homemaker.  

In 1947, at the age of 13, Wamuyu attended Goramo Private School near her home village. While there, she was in close contact with a nearby independent school. Although she did not attend the independent school, these learning institutions were key hubs of political agitation. Here, she conversed with a travelling political firebrand, called Gakaara Wa Wanjau, on the topic of colonialism. She was 16 when she met the journal editor who became one of the most influential figures in developing Wamuyu’s politics. 

However, the shifting tectonic plates brought about by revolution jolted the future freedom fighter even in youth. Her education was cut short in class five by the uprise of the Mau Mau movement. Even though Wamuyu’s father owned a small parcel of land, she was never quite free from the fears that came with colonialism. She had heard of the relocation of Maasai people from their ancestral lands and was overwhelmed by the fear that her family in Nyeri would have the same fate. This was her first, bitter taste of the political injustices brought about by colonialism.  

Joining the ranks 

The bulk of Wamuyu’s political education took place through the oaths she took when joining the independence movement. In 1948, Wamuyu joined many other girls to take her first oath to the Kenya African Union (KAU). She was among the first group to take the oaths of the KAU, which was dedicated to bringing about independence in Kenya. Encouraging political awareness in girls was one of the aims of the oaths that Wamuyu took. Her particular oath was based on her role recruiting girls for the movement.  

Wamuyu took another oath with a weighty vow of secrecy in 1951, and this time, it was a call to arms. The batuni oath was also known as the warrior oath. It initiated fighters into the guerrilla war. The call to arms included an unequivocal dedication to the cause and detailed force as a means to retake stolen land given the way it was appropriated through colonialism.  The gravity of the oaths was not lost on Wamuyu. Although the oaths were argued by some to only pertain to men, she insisted that women who took the Mau Mau oaths were equally bound by the responsibility to take up arms. 

Within the grasp of the enemy 

After steeling herself with the armour of oaths, Wamuyu took on her first mission in the homestead of a white settler in Ndarangwa (within what is now Nyadarua County). Here, the Mau Mau leadership entrusted Wamuyu with the task of locating the guns in the household. She delivered hastily. Wamuyu gave the signal to a Mau Mau activist who visited her under the guise of being a relative. From there, when the cover of night gave way to day, all the guns at the property were swept away by the Mau Mau. Wamuyu fled the estate to avoid arrest and repeated her great feat at another white settler home where she located the guns within a month. Her success in gun running was such that a railway wagon was eventually required to transport the weapons. Her famous moniker ‘Cinda Reri’ was also born of her trailblazing exploits using railway contacts. Even so, Wamuyu’s work was not done.  

In 1953, she took the bold step to enter the forest permanently at Kiganjo, Nyeri. Wamuyu joined the Hika Hika (go quickly, go quickly) battalion where General China was the overseeing commander. There were 30 women fighters and they were involved in roles such as collecting important goods like guns and food. Wamuyu continued as a spy in the forest and primarily infiltrated the local anti-Mau Mau forces which were often made up of Kenyans.  

This meant infiltrating the King’s African Rifles (KAR) and Tribal Police Reserve (TPR) soldiers on behalf of the Mau Mau. Stealing ammunition, arms and precious intel were all in a day’s work. The task that Wamuyu, and the girls charged to her, had been given was one that required the utmost precision. They would begin by befriending the soldiers without rousing so much as a hint of suspicion that they were aligned with the Mau Mau. Social events such as dances were opportune moments to fraternise with the enemy. The next step would be receiving an invitation to the camp where the recruits would learn the layout to relay back for all-important attacks. 

A battle-hardened hero emerges 

Like all Mau Mau guerrillas, Wamuyu was trained thoroughly on gun use by a World War 2 veteran. She could operate rifles and guns with precision and ease. Despite her prowess with weapons, in June 1953, at the Battle of Ruiru, Wamuyu used a different set of skills. 

The battle began as an attempted ambush by British soldiers. However, an elderly woman warned the Mau Mau fighters of the impending attack. Being familiar with the area around the Ruiru river, Wamuyu was tasked with using a flag to guide the fighters safely across the river and back to the forest, all under raining gunfire. The battle claimed the lives of eight freedom fighters and wounded two. Wamuyu had risked life and limb to deliver the fighters from a dispiriting defeat at the hands of British soldiers.  

In January 1954, in the battle of Gichuthini, Wamuyu’s battalion leader General China was captured by British forces and Wamuyu left with a leg injury from live bullets. Despite spending a few weeks in the cave-like structure that housed a Mau Mau field hospital, she took care of precious documents with personal information on Mau Mau fighters. In her recovery, she remained vigilant of the information and ensured that it returned safely to Dedan Kimathi who had entrusted her with it.  In December of the same year, Wamuyu had sprung back to action and fought in the Battle of Iriani where a live firefight ensued as the Mau Mau aimed to capture a British collaborator.  

Her fearless run as a Mau Mau combatant came to an end when she embarked on a final gun run. Wamuyu pretended to surrender to two Kikuyu Colonial policemen when she had really approached them to steal guns. She was interrogated and put under restrictive duty in her home neighbourhood due to a lack of evidence against her.  

This unrelenting warrior was a fierce Mau Mau leader and an invaluable asset to the independence movement. When speaking of independence, ‘Cinda Reri’ must be credited for her devotion and perseverance through injury, duress and insurmountable obstacles. These characteristics were key in pushing the independence movement forward and make hers a story for the ages.