As the history of Kenya’s second liberation is written, the name of Monica Wangu Wamwere will stand out like a beacon light.
Though her passing on October 27 at the age of 93 did not make headlines like other freedom fighters, her departure symbolised the end of an era for a woman who single-handedly held the values of the freedom struggle aloft.
A mother of the former Subukia MP and political detainee-Koigi wa Wamwere, she is best remembered for leading the mothers of political prisoners in the early 1990s culminating in a dangerous standoff with State agents at Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park, Nairobi.
These mothers, who were forced to strip to curse the brutality of the repressive Kanu regime and demand the release of their sons imprisoned for being perceived as anti-government, would flee to seek sanctuary for months at All Saints Cathedral.
This bold political move proved to be a game-changer, culminating in the 1992 Constitutional Amendment and the repeal of major oppressive laws in the Kenyan Constitution.
A day before his mother’s burial yesterday (Friday), Mr Wamwere spoke emotionally to the Saturday Nation, describing her as a confidante and a courageous woman.
“My mom was very tolerant. When I finished my A Levels and got a scholarship to study at Cornell University in New York in the early 1970s, she was overjoyed. After about three years in the US, I made a radical decision to come back home and drop out of university to fight for democratic change. Surprisingly, mom supported my idea. She was excited, and that encouraged me a lot,” he says.
Monica, the mother of political prisoner and former MP Koigi Wamwere (pictured), was hailed as a champion of the second liberation whose name should feature prominently in the history of Kenya's freedom fighters.
Photo credit: Francis Mureithi | Nation Media Group
During his detentions in 1975 and 1982, he says his mother would visit him daily at Kamiti Maximum Prison at a time when many were scared.
“Mom did not persuade me to leave politics. She told me she had no business stopping me from fighting for the rights of the people as long as I was telling the truth,” Koigi remembers.
His mother would constantly remind him to remain steadfast when fighting for the cause of justice and human rights, becoming a great supporter, attending all his political meetings, eventually turning into one of his biggest political bedrocks.
“Mom never wavered. She remained strong during my turbulent political career that saw me detained for 13 years. She gave me advice to fight for the rights of the people and never to lie. She told me never to betray the people who elected me. On freedom, she told me it was a great thing and people must fight for it and treasure it. She didn’t persuade me to drop the fight against injustice and oppressive regimes.,” Mr Wamwere says.
Monica Wangu Wamwere. She led mothers and wives of political detainees in protests demanding their release during the Kanu regime.
Photo credit: File I Nation Media Group
“I remember when British soldiers stormed our homestead and senselessly started beating my dad until he was unconscious. When dad regained consciousness, mom stood up, picked a panga, and dared the British soldiers to beat him again. Strangely enough, the soldiers walked out of our house. That is how brave mom was,” the former Subukia MP says.
One heroic thing that his mother did and added value to Mr Wamwere’s life was she stood up for his freedom at Freedom Corner at Uhuru Park in Nairobi to demand his release with other mothers of the political prisoners.
“That was an extreme move by any woman against tyranny,” he says.
“She did it because she was not prepared to lose the freedom of her children. Nothing was too much or embarrassing. There’s nothing she could not bear in the struggle for her children. She staged the hunger strike at Uhuru Park for more than a year.”
That, Koigi says, was amazing, a measure of great sacrifice.
“That action by my mom influenced the political class immensely and led to my freedom. The action taught me to be brave and that is why my brothers and I, became part of the second liberation for Kenya,” Mr Wamwere says.
Another memorable incident was when he was admitted to Nairobi Hospital after falling sick at Kamiti prison. His mother pitched camp at the hospital and he tried to persuade her to abandon the idea because he was not sure she could organise another demonstration for his freedom and succeed.
Monica Wangu Wamwere was buried in Nakuru County on Friday.
Photo credit: Francis Mureithi | Nation Media Group
“I thought she was pushing her luck too far but she told me she would never go home until I was released. In fact, she told me this was her fight and she would fight it to the end. She came daily to see me, and we prayed together until I was released,” he narrates.
To that extent, he says he knew his mother as that chicken that flies after the hawk has stolen its chicks.
“She told me as long as her children were in custody, she would not be free. I also remember she refused to bury my dad for three years because she demanded that her three sons be released from prison. Mom could not bury her husband when the business of doing that work rested in the hands of her sons who were locked in prison,” he says.
“I saw my mom react angrily when I was sentenced to six years and six canes in a Nakuru Court. It pained me to see her screaming and shouting for my release. It was a heroic action that distinguished her as a justice seeker and freedom fighter,” he says.
“The loss is irreplaceable. Mom is not coming back to life, but her powerful legacy will live forever. She wanted to live in a better country. She was never going to lose her commitment to fight for a better Kenya even as she battled illness on her deathbed,” he says.
“The story of my mom is an epitaph of a great freedom fighter who was moved anytime she saw suffering at any stage of life. Your unbroken spirit and flame will not be extinguished as the struggle for true freedom continues. Thank you, my confidante, for always loving me and guiding me."
In a statement, ODM Leader Raila Odinga said that Mama Koigi was a staunch crusader for human rights and one of the champions of Kenya's second liberation.
"Mama Ida and I join the family of former Subukia MP and former Assistant Minister, Hon Koigi wa Wamwere in mourning the death of their mother, Monica Wangu Wamwere (Mama Koigi - as she was popularly known)," the statement read.
"While two of her sons (Koigi and Kuria) were part of the prisoners, her drive and zeal were not just for the sake of the two, but the entire group that was being incarcerated at Nyayo House and elsewhere in the country," Mr Odinga said.
