Literary icon Prof Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has challenged the Kenyan government to petition the British government to return the skull of a legendary Gusii warrior, Otenyo Nyaigoti allegedly taken to England during the colonial period for decent burial.
Speaking at Kisii University on Monday during a public lecture, Ngugi urged the government to give Kenyan heroes, who suffered and died in the hands of the former colonial master, the recognition they deserve.
“The government must go for Otenyo’s head that was chopped off by the colonialists in 1908 and taken to England where it could be stored in the archive. It is high time that our hero's head is returned so that it can be buried here in Kenya,” demanded the distinguished professor of comparative literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.
He added, “The least we can do to our heroes is to recognise them in a special way considering their contribution to the liberation of our country.”
Records show British government officers from the Kings African Rifles landed in Kisii in 1905 ostensibly to deal with a group of cattle rustlers, who had killed people in a raid.
The British made invasions in grazing areas known as ‘Ebisarate’ and forcibly took away livestock. The worst incident occurred in 1908 where over 8,000 livestock were impounded.
Otenyo was infuriated with the serious losses of livestock and conceived a counterattack plan on the British officers who were by then marching the livestock out of Kitutu. Otenyo assembled seasoned warriors armed with poisonous arrows and spears, used a different route to get ahead of the British officers and managed recover lots of livestock.
This attack took place in the present day Manga in Kitutu region. The British officers shot and wounded Otenyo whom they captured. His bloodied headless body was later found dumped beside a bridge with multiple gunshot wounds.