Stanley Mathenge wa Mirugi (born c. 1919; disappeared 1955) was a Kenyan military leader during the Mau Mau rebellion.
Stanley Mathenge | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stanley Mathenge wa Mirugi 1919 Kenya |
| Disappeared | 1955 Kenya |
| Spouse | Muthoni Mathenge |
Background
editHe was born in Mahiga, Nyeri District.[citation needed]
Before the Mau Mau rebellion, he had fought in Burma. Later he became the leader of the Forty Group, an organisation supporting the Kenya African Union (KAU). He also founded the Kenya Riigi, a group of courageous fighters. Mathenge believed in traditional Kikuyu religion.[1] In May 1953 he became the leader of the newly formed Mau Mau military unit Nyeri District Council and Army.[2] His rivalry with field marshal Dedan Kimathi harmed integrity of the Mau Mau movement.[3]
Disappearance
editHe disappeared in 1955 and was later reported to be allegedly living in Ethiopia.[4] Mathenge left with his battalion to Ethiopia where he is said to have died in 2016. His brother, Joseph Kiiru Mirugi, died in 2009 in Mahiga, Othaya and his wife, Muthoni wa Mathenge, is still alive and resides in Mweiga, Nyeri. One prevailing conspiracy theory is that he was killed in his power rivalry with Kimathi, who then made up the story that Mathenge had gone to Ethiopia to seek assistance from Haile Selassie.[5]
Later events
editOn May 30, 2003 a man believed to be Stanley Mathenge, living in Ethiopia, was invited to Kenya by president Mwai Kibaki and was given a hero's welcome by the state. It was soon revealed that the man was Ato Lemma Ayanu, who himself denied being Mathenge.[6] A DNA test published four years later proved he was not Mathenge.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Marshall S. Clough: Mau Mau memoirs: history, memory, and politics Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998. ISBN 1-55587-537-8
- ^ Abiodun Alao & Christa Hook: Mau-Mau warrior Osprey Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-84603-024-2
- ^ Robert M. Press: Peaceful resistance: advancing human rights and democratic freedoms.Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006. ISBN 0-7546-4713-7
- ^ Carole Cooper, J. R. A. Bailey & Garth Bundeh: Kenya: The National Epic. Kenway Publications, 1993
- ^ Standard, The. "How I helped Mathenge escape from Kimathi". The Standard. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ BBC News, May 31, 2003: Doubt cast on Mau Mau hero
- ^ Daily Nation, October 18, 2007: Ayanu Fake, DNA Shows