Karuri Wa Gakure: The Great Chief (Kikuyu community)

Karuri wa Gakure was a famous Kikuyu medicine man and warrior.
He was born around 1840 in Gathigiyo, in Iyigo to a father of the Angari clan and a mother, whose name was Wangari. His two blood brothers were Kiguma and Ngaru, while his sisters were Wambui, Muthoni and Gacoki.

Young Karuri displayed leadership qualities among his peers, consequently, they named him mutongoria which meant leader, and the name stuck. He belonged to the machungya makuru (old stealers of clothes) age set.

Growing up, Karuri hunted elephants for ivory to trade with the Arabs. To supplement his income, he decided to become a traditional medicine man even though he had never apprenticed to be one. For thirty goats, he bought his first herbs from Githaiga wa Muya, Gikemi wa Karura and from the Ndorobo in the nearby forests.

He was initiated into the trade as a traditional doctor in a big ceremony soon after and with that, he became famous. His fame increased further when he gave war medicine to the Kikuyu warriors of Karura in Kiambu to help them triumph over the Maasai warriors of Naivasha. He led the Kikuyu warriors to battle after giving them the medicine that was rumoured to make them invincible. Karuri went to battle with the warriors as the muthigani wa njama, leader of the war council. As the muthigani, he carried githitu, the war medicine, without which the warriors would surely lose. The Kikuyu warriors easily won due to their belief in Karuri’s medicine and his presence. With the victor’s loot, Karuri also grew wealthy and influential, and rose to become a leader among the Kikuyu.
As a leader, more so as a chief, Karuri is famed for having saved his village by quarantining them to save them from the spread of a smallpox pandemic in the 1890s. The pandemic hit parts of central Kenya, Nairobi, Ukambani and Rift Valley. Many people died, The only place that escaped the smallpox epidemic was Tuthu, Karuri's territory.

He stopped any villager from going out and any foreigner from coming in. To make sure people followed the order, he poured some black powder across all footpaths leading to his village and spread a rumour that if anyone looked at that poison they would die immediately. It worked!
Karuri is also known to have fought and conquered many wars.

During the invasion by the Europeans, as the Chief of his area he collaborated in the construction of the Uganda Kenya Railway. He also welcomed the missionaries to build schools, hospitals and churches. His cooperation earned him the position of paramount chief.

On January 14th 1916, Karuri who was about seventy years old was baptized Joseph, while his wife, Wanjiru became Consolata. The ceremony also included a Christian wedding to his wife. He had to renounce all the other wives (around sixty of them) as illegitimate. The great paramount Chief Karuri passed away on 16th May 1916 and was buried in Tuthu.

Bonus Information:
In the old days, medicine men and women could collect medicinal herbs from the forests. Today, these plants are becoming rare because of over-collecting. Conserving our environment is not just protecting wildlife – it’s also protecting our traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.