On an extraordinary, but chilly night in December 12, 1963, mountaineer Kisoi Munyao climbed the final steps to the peak of Mount Kenya. In his hand, he held the newly minted flag of his nation which his people had fought courageously to liberate. Braving the icy winds and risking the difficult trek up the mountain, he planted our flag atop Batian peak, the highest point of Mount Kenya. With this action, he signified that the mountain for which our country is named is for each and every mwananchi. From its different names to the special symbols we planted there, Mount Kenya is the mountain that is a forever symbol of our independence.
Primarily inhabited by the Embu, Kikuyu, and Meru peoples, each of these communities has a name for the majestic place. The Embu call it Kirenyaa. The Kikuyu call it Kirinyaga. This name likens the snowy white patches of ice on the tip of the mountain’s summit to the white plumes of a male ostrich’s tail. To this tribe, Mount Kenya is God’s throne on Earth. In reverence, the tribes living near it build their houses facing the mountain.
The Meru call Mount Kenya Kirimara, “the mountain of snow.” And the Kamba refer to the mountain as Kiinyaa. The earliest foreign explorers referred to the mountain by the name the Kamba had given it, calling it “Kenia.” Thus, it is from “Kiinyaa,” that we draw our nation’s name – Kenya.
Mount Kenya peaks are named Batian, Nelion and Point Lenana. These are in honor of three legendary Maasai Laibon. The Laibon were a special rank of people within the tribe, providing military, political and even spiritual insight, guidance and leadership. Batian is named for Laibon Mbatian, whose reign among the Maasai brought them great prosperity, peace and power from the plains of Arusha to the hills of Kajiado. His death resulted in a great rift between the subtribes of the Maasai which even his brother, Nelieng, for whom Nelion peak is named, could not repair. Fortunately, his son, Lenana had already formed a relationship with his tribesmen. And they trusted him wholeheartedly. Using his influence with the colonial regime, he ensured their well-being as far as he could. Bearing the names of these Kenyan visionaries, the peaks shine as an inspiration for us all.
Beyond its peaks, Mount Kenya holds special significance for the Maasai who graze their flocks on the mountain’s fertile earth. It is included in one of the Maasai’s prayers, where they ask God to prosper their offspring like the Ngong Hills and Mount Kenya. Even they have a title for the mighty mountain. They call it Ol Donyo Keri, the mountain of stripes, drawn from the rugged beauty of its ridges seen from the surrounding plains.
In 2010, the country continued the tradition of crowning Mount Kenya with symbols of our legacy. A copy of the new constitution, which was promulgated on 27th August 2010, was laid at Point Lenana on that same bright morning. The mountain now bears our name, our history and vision, as well as the law of our land.
It is with pride that we remember the words of Kisoi Munyao, uttered on Batian peak on the day of our independence. “Hamjambo wananchi wote pamoja na wageni wetu. Mimi ni Kisoi Munyao ninaozungumza nanyi kutoka kileleni cha Mlima Kenya. Kenya, Kenyatta, bendera imepepea. Kenya popote mwangaza umeenea.”
