Mnyazi wa Menza (Mekatilili Wa Menza) or (Makatilili) was a Kenyan woman leader, who led the Giriama people in a rebellion against the British Colonial Administration and policies in 1913-1914.
She became Mekatilili after the birth of her first son Katilili and she is considered a prophetess among the Giriama.
The Giriama people are a subgroup of Mijikenda people who inhabit the Kenyan coast.The prefix 'me' in Mijikenda languages stands for 'mother of'.
Mekatilili was born in the 1860s at Mutsara wa Tsatsu in Bamba, Kilifi County. She was an only daughter in a family of five children before being married to Dyeka at Lango Baya.
Mwarandu, one of her brothers, was taken by Arab slavers and was never seen again.On August 13, 1913, the British colonial administrator for the region, Arthur Champion, held a public meeting where he gave his demands to the Giriama community.
Mekatilili opposed the demands and, in a heated exchange, slapped him.
She was agitated with the British forcing Giriama men to fight in World War I as well as what she saw as erosion of traditional Giriama culture.
She round up support for her cause against the British due to her position as a strong believer of the traditional religion.
In this, she was aided by the traditional medicine man Wanje wa Mwadori Kola where they organized a large meeting at Kaya Fungo where they administered the 'mukushekushe' oath among the women and 'Fisi' among the men who vowed never to cooperate with the British.
After seeing the rebellion, the British responded by seizing large tracts of Giriama land, burning their homes and razing Kaya Fungo.Mekatilili was arrested by the British on October 17, 1913 and exiled to Mumias in Western Kenya.
According to British colonial records, five years later, she returned to her native land where she continued to oppose the imposition of Colonial policies and ordinances.
However, some narratives say Mekatilili escaped from the prison in Mumias and walked over 1,000 kilometers back to Giriama.
Mekatilili who is considered a heroine in the coast region, died in 1924. She was buried in Bungale, in Magarini, Malindi.