In 1920, the cries of a newborn baby broke the silence of the Wundanyi Hills and woke the entire Kilongwa Village in a jubilant celebration; a new member had been added to the community. This child was Herman Mwandighi Mwashuma, who would become the epitome of exemplary service and an unsung hero who hallmarked patriotism. 

Born into the era of formal education, Mwandighi was inspired by his father to pursue education and set himself up for a good job in the colonial government. As a result, he set off from his village to Kabete Technical College in 1940, at the age of 20, to study carpentry. 

 

World War II 

As Mwandighi went on with school, Kenya was dragged into the Second World War to support the colonial government in the conquest. It was tasked with providing manpower for this campaign, and as a result, the country’s strong and youthful men were recruited into the force. This ordeal would alter the course of Mwandighi’s quest for education, as barely a year into carpentry school, he was recruited into the British army on 6th January 1941. 

Mwandighi was deployed to Abyssinia – present-day Ethiopia – after receiving specialised training from the British government. At Abyssinia, he wasn’t just an ordinary soldier. Tapping into his background in carpentry, he was responsible for making wooden products for his fellow soldiers, such as storage boxes for military weapons and even beds. On other fateful days, he would find himself before a heated battlefield as he was also assigned to drive soldiers to the war zone. Regardless of what his day-to-day in the military entailed, Mwandighi did his due diligence, ensuring the convenience and safety of the frontline soldiers.  

It’s this dedication which earned him a promotion from serviceman to sergeant before the end of his service.  

 

Mau Mau Ally 

After four years of honourable service, Mwandighi and other soldiers were discharged on 29th November 1945, and they returned home more galvanised than ever. They went home to communities bubbling with tension, and their arrival strengthened the uproar for independence.  This was met with utmost ferocity as the colonial government tried its best to quell the revolt. 

At the helm of this liberation struggle was Jomo Kenyatta, a man whom the British government sought after for his linkage to the Mau Mau movement. During this time, Kenyatta would seek refuge in different places and Mwanguwi Caves (present-day Kenyatta Caves) in Taita was one of his hideouts. While here, elders from the Taita community ensured his safety, and Mwandighi was tasked with his protection. Mwandighi took to this task dutifully and safeguarded Kenyatta until 1952 when he was arrested and put into detention.  

 

A Leader in Independent Kenya 

When Kenya gained independence, Mwandighi’s was appointed the first Kenya African National Union (KANU)chairperson in Taita Taveta, a position that saw him become the first man to hoist the Kenyan flag in 1963 at Wundanyi, after lowering the Union Jack. Mwandighi would go on to hold other leadership positions in Taita and become a man whom many leaders and community members drank from his ever-flowing cup of wisdom, refined with age and experience until his death in 2021. 

Today, we remember Mwandighi for his integral role in ensuring the safety of freedom fighters and political activists like Jomo Kenyatta. He is the definition of true patriotism, and without him, the fight for independence would not have prevailed. 

#KeJamhuri