• Elijah, founder of the Dini Ya Musambwa sect, inspired his Bukusu clansmen to revolt against white colonialists whom he accused of using religion to colonise Africans.
• He was jailed by colonial and post-independence governments but remained defiant and continually for equal land distribution and citizen rights.
Image: FILE
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has nominated freedom fighter and Luhya prophet Elijah Masinde Wanameme for recognition as a National Hero.
Elijah, the founder of the Dini Ya Musambwa sect, inspired his Bukusu clansmen to revolt against white colonialists whom he accused of using religion as a tool to manipulate and colonise the minds of the native population.
The nomination is in line with the National Heroes Council's mandate to recognise and commemorate the deeds of heroes and heroines and appreciate their contribution to the welfare of mankind.
Sifuna believes that Masinde meets the cut for such an honour following his contribution during the struggle for Kenya's Independence.
"He therefore decided that true liberation could only come from complete freedom from colonialism, including religious freedom. He subsequently founded the Dini Ya Musambwa in 1948, to advocate for indigenous African worship devoid of the white man’s domination," he said.
Masinde was born around 1910-1912 in Kimilili, Bungoma District, in the current Bungoma county.
"He died in 1987 but his contribution remains largely unrecognised, an error I’m hoping the National Heroes Council will finally correct."
For one to qualify to be recognised, the National Heroes Council requires the person nominating them to demonstrate the nominee's contribution to the country or community.
This should be done through the provision of supporting documents, testimonials, certificates, videos, features, photographs, news, publications, copies of news items, certificates or letters of recommendation from government officials or community leaders.
The nomination does not, however, guarantee for designation of a nominee as a hero or heroine, the council says.
According to Sifuna, Masinde's liberation struggle against the colonial government qualifies him for recognition as a national hero.
He said the Bukusu prophet used his indigenous religious ideologies as a tool to fight for freedom and emancipate the black man, something that often landed him in trouble.
"While engaging in anti-colonial activities, Masinde came into contact with white rulers a lot. Confrontations abounded. At one time, he had a physical fight with a colonial administrator for refusing to kneel before him," he said.
Masinde was later arrested and detained several times, in different locations, including at Kapenguria, the senator added.
He became a thorn in the flesh of colonial administrators for preaching the liberation message in prison, forcing them to move him from location to location to arrest what they considered his indoctrination of prisoners.
Sifuna said Masinde identified with the philosophies of founding fathers Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga for the political, economic, educational and religious independence of Kenyans.
Masinde encouraged Kenyatta to be radical, Sifuna said, "as that was the language the white man would understand".
"Because of his radical message and insistence on both religious and economic freedom as part of the 1963 independence package, he was subsequently detained by the Kenyatta government after independence, spending time in jail until 1978, when he was released as part of Moi’s amnesty to political prisoners. This radicalism wouldn’t relent, forcing Moi to send him back to jail briefly," the senator added.
Elijah remained defiant and continually questioned post-independence Kenya's government, especially on the issue of land distribution and citizen rights.
He has since his death in 1987 been considered a neglected freedom fighter but the mystery that surrounded him still astounds many to date.
In the biography titled Elijah Masinde, author Vincent Simiyu paints the picture of a man with extraordinary powers.
On a bright sunny day at Kimilili, Masinde reportedly pointed at a shopkeeper saying he would be dead by the time rain that was yet to start was over.
True to his word, witnesses said rain started falling. The shopkeeper fell and rolled three times in his shop and was dead when the rain stopped just as prophesied by Masinde.
Prior to his death, an ailing Masinde predicted his own death and showed his son the exact burial place - under a tree inside his compound.
Upon death, elders ignored his death wish and dug the grave at a different spot but stumbled upon a human skeleton.
They interpreted this as a bad sign and chose to uphold his wish, including burying him in a sitting position.
The gravesite would later be built into a mausoleum. Thousands of pilgrims of his Dini Ya Msambwa faith pay homage to the shrine every June, feast and pray while facing Mt Elgon.