Rebecca Njeri

One of the most effective ways that the colonising powers of the 20th century maintained their dominance over Africa was through education. Schools were used to transmit European values and condemn African ones. At the same time, access to higher learning for Africans was limited and so were opportunities for formal employment. This allowed the British to use Africans’ skill to advance imperialism while keeping them in dependent positions. It was not long before African communities began resisting this approach, opting to use education as a weapon of colonial resistance. One woman who played a pivotal role in the restructure of African education was Rebecca Njeri.  

Rebecca the Rebel 

Born in 1895 to Mugethi wa Nyuyai and Tabitha Wambui, Rebecca was a curious child who never shied away from inquiry. Her thirst for knowledge led to her leaving her home in Kairi Village at an early age to enroll in school. The school was located in Ngenda – another village within present-day Kiambu County. It was a missionary boarding centre for girls, many who had fled their homes in pursuit of an education. After completing her studies, Rebecca returned to Kairi where she underwent the customary initiation into adulthood.

Not long after her rite of passage, she married and joined PCEA Kanjeria Church. Rebecca Njeri wa Ndugo was indeed not one to be boxed in by ideologies, choosing to embrace what she believed to be the best of both African and European cultures. This led to her membership of the African Independent Pentecostal Church in Africa (AIPCA), a church that celebrated African independence and leadership.  

In 1929, the growing dissatisfaction with the quality of mission education like the one Rebecca received reached a point of rupture. Among the Agikuyu, two independent schools’ movements cropped up without government approval. These were: the Kikuyu Independent Schools Association and the Kikuyu Karinga Education Authority. Under these movements, a network of independent schools emerged to provide Africans with more holistic education. Rebecca took up the tedious responsibility of mobilising the community to build independent schools. She even convinced her father-in-law to donate land to the cause. Despite her success in this venture, the underemphasis of girls’ education meant that all the schools she had helped establish only provided education to boys. 

Advocating for Education for the African Girl 

Rebecca joined the Kenya African Union after its establishment in 1944. It is during this period that she became acquainted with educated political leaders Jomo Kenyatta and Mbiyu Koinange. The three shared a similar vision and passion for African education. In 1947, Kenyatta and Koinange decided to establish a boys’ college to train teachers for the independent schools. But Rebecca was not one to idly stand by and watch the marginalization of women and girls. She insisted on the inclusion of a girls’ section in the college.

Unsurprisingly, her assertion carried the day. After the establishment of Kenya African Teachers’ College in Githunguri, a construction of a girls’ wing on the campus began. This became Kenya’s first independent African girls’ school aptly named Kiriri. The name translates to the Agikuyu word that describes the allocated girls’ quarters in a homestead.  

Rebecca became the treasurer of the building committee, rallying other women to provide labour and financial support for the project. Once competed, she became the headmistress of Kiriri, overseeing the school’s admission and instruction. By setting up and running this school, Rebecca played a fundamental role in the establishment of an alternative education that combined Gikuyu values with Western literary skills. 

Mother of the Mau Mau Children 

As the liberation efforts intensified, Rebecca took the oath and joined the Mau Mau. Using the AIPCA church as a guise, she became an oath administrator in Kairi. Her home was a meeting point for other Mau Mau members to hatch plans and discuss strategies. Understanding the power of music in propagating messages, Rebecca composed songs to remind the Agikuyu about the injustices they had suffered for so long, stretching back to the Agikuyu chief Waiyaki wa Hinga’s time. She also urged them to remain unflinching in the liberation struggle. Emboldened by Rebecca’s words, attacks on European lands began leading to an escalation of violence in Kenya. 

After the declaration of the State of Emergency on 20th October 1952, Rebecca was one of the Mau Mau leaders arrested and imprisoned without trial. Rather than dampen the spirits of the Agikuyu, her incarceration galvanized even more support to the fight for freedom. Her legend only grew and inspired songs that heralded her as Mother of the Mau Mau Children. Rebecca remained incarcerated at Kamiti Prison until 1960. By the time of her release, independence was inevitable, so Rebecca focused her efforts on the socioeconomic development of women. Post-independence, she continued promoting progress within Kiambu by advocating for education and land rights for women.  

We remember Rebecca Njeri for using her voice to champion women’s rights, equity in education, and liberation from colonial oppression. A brazen shujaa through and through, may the fire she ignited continue to blaze the way for all who follow in her footsteps. 

#KeJamhuri