•The event was organized by the Kikuyu Council of Elders Chairman Wachira Kiago.
•Mama Ngina was accompanied by the chair of the women league Agnes Kagure.
Image: FILE
Mama Ngina Kenyatta led a special ceremony of shaving the dreadlocks of the only female Field Marshal in Nyeri Town on Saturday.
Mau Mau fighter Muthoni wa Kirima has had the dreadlocks for over 60 years. Most of the Mau Mau fighters took a vow that they will never shave until the whites leave Kenya.
The veteran's wish was to have Mama Ngina cut her dreadlocks and to bless President Uhuru Kenyatta.
It was a historic cultural event that was attended by Mau Mau veterans and the council of elders.
The event was organized by the Kikuyu Council of Elders Chairman Wachira Kiago.
Mama Ngina was accompanied by the chair of the women league Agnes Kagure.
Ms Muthoni said she opted to keep her dreadlocks as proof of her role in the struggle for independence.
When Mama Ngina finished cutting the hair, she wrapped the dreadlocks with the Kenyan flag before placing them in a basket.
She said it would be stored at a museum to signify its history.
The two urged leaders to educate the youth on the history of Kenya, saying the tribulations and struggles that they endured were being washed away by young people who lack knowledge about the history.
Muthoni called for unity and peace among leaders and coexistence among Kenyans, saying she had already forgiven those she went to war with in 1952.
Muthoni is said to have been a spy for the Mau Mau fighters who had camped in the forest in 1952 at the age of 20.
According to the Standard, during the war, many women were either spies or supplied food to the fighters. But Muthoni wanted to be a fighter and so he convinced Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi who later allowed her into the battlefield.
And fighting next to Dedan Kimathi and proving herself to be a valuable soldier, Muthoni was promoted to field marshal and became the only woman to have ever reached that status.