Dedan Kimathi will actually remain in the minds of many Kenyans for several generations to come for his loyalty and patriotism he had in seeing Kenyan get liberated from the British colonialism.
Kimathi however, never lived to witness his dream of the new Kenya after the Colonial court in Nyeri in October 1956 made a ruling that he be sentenced to death on February 18, 1957, for what the court termed as being in possessions of firearms contrarily.
Prior to his death, Kimathi, in a letter addressed to Father Marino of the Catholic Mission at Mathari in Nyeri made three wishes that he wanted to be fulfilled.
In his first wish, Kimathi requested that his son, Meshack Waciu be educated in one of the Catholics schools in Nyeri.
“I request for a favor — take my son to school. I trust that something must be done to see that he starts earlier under your care,” states the letter acquired byNation from Istituto Missioni Consolata (Consolata Missionaries) in Rome.
He asked the priest to comfort his very old and sorrowful mother.
"Do not fail from seeing my mother who is very old and to comfort her even though she is so much sorrowful,"
And that his wife, also detained in Kamiti prison, when released be comforted too by Sisters: "My wife is here. She is detained at Kamiti prison and I suggest that she will be released after sometime. I would like her to be comforted by sisters eg Sister Modester for she too feels lonely,"
He continued, "And if by any possibility she can be near the mission near Mathari, so that she may be close to the sisters and to the church,"
#historynow