wakimani
Elder Lister
General Simba Makara aka Makarange
Very little is documented about General Simba but I will try and piece together the information I have gathered to try and tell his story.
He was born in the Mwimbi area.
He was very tactical and fierce in battle. He was in charge of the MauMau in the Mwimbi and Nithi area but he traversed the greater Mount Kenya region.
According to MauMau General Waruhiu Itote, General Simba was killed while on a mission in Nanyuki.
This is General Itote's account.
Simba Makarange was one of our greatest fighters, and on May 22nd 1953, he came to me for permission to attend a meeting at Dol Dol. Enemy activity had been increasing constantly, and we no longer ran unnecessary risks, as we had in the early days. I could not allow Simba to go into the "Reserves" without a strong escort to deal with any possible opposition, and I asked him to wait a day or so for the arrival of some troops on their way from Nairobi. He opposed my decision, but agreed he would go only as far as Kwahuku and return immediately.
I learnt later that Simba, Mburukenge and Mohammed Mwai actually intended going to Nanyuki, and they had taken two girls with them to help carry their baggage. Near the village of Njugii, Simba asked one of our company commanders, Njuni, for an escort as far as Dol Dol, but he was refused. He then asked Njuni to join him in an attack on Njugii village, where a man wanted by the Movement was living. The Commander again refused, and Simba decided to attack the village alone, since he was the only one armed. During a short fight he was wounded in the leg by a spear, and when he rejoined the men and girls he had difficulty in walking.
Nevertheless they decided to continue on towards Dol Dol but, after a short time, Simba's wound made progress impossible, and they lay down to sleep in a sheltered spot. At dawn, a group of whites accidentally stumbled onto the hiding place, and a brief but fierce battle took place. Simba had a good supply of ammunition, and it was said that he accounted for eighteen of the enemy men, firing from thick bush until his bullets were finished. He died when one of the whites tossed a grenade into the bush; one of the two girls died with him, but the other took Simba's gun, thrust it under her dress and made her escape with Mburukenge. They went on to Dol Dol, and on the 29th reported to us the death of a hero, a loss we greatly mourned.
Continue Resting in Power General Simba.
See you at Scilla Gardens Kasarani on 8th August as we celebrate our MauMau heroes.
Side Note: I would love to know if he has any surviving family members.
Very little is documented about General Simba but I will try and piece together the information I have gathered to try and tell his story.
He was born in the Mwimbi area.
He was very tactical and fierce in battle. He was in charge of the MauMau in the Mwimbi and Nithi area but he traversed the greater Mount Kenya region.
According to MauMau General Waruhiu Itote, General Simba was killed while on a mission in Nanyuki.
This is General Itote's account.
Simba Makarange was one of our greatest fighters, and on May 22nd 1953, he came to me for permission to attend a meeting at Dol Dol. Enemy activity had been increasing constantly, and we no longer ran unnecessary risks, as we had in the early days. I could not allow Simba to go into the "Reserves" without a strong escort to deal with any possible opposition, and I asked him to wait a day or so for the arrival of some troops on their way from Nairobi. He opposed my decision, but agreed he would go only as far as Kwahuku and return immediately.
I learnt later that Simba, Mburukenge and Mohammed Mwai actually intended going to Nanyuki, and they had taken two girls with them to help carry their baggage. Near the village of Njugii, Simba asked one of our company commanders, Njuni, for an escort as far as Dol Dol, but he was refused. He then asked Njuni to join him in an attack on Njugii village, where a man wanted by the Movement was living. The Commander again refused, and Simba decided to attack the village alone, since he was the only one armed. During a short fight he was wounded in the leg by a spear, and when he rejoined the men and girls he had difficulty in walking.
Nevertheless they decided to continue on towards Dol Dol but, after a short time, Simba's wound made progress impossible, and they lay down to sleep in a sheltered spot. At dawn, a group of whites accidentally stumbled onto the hiding place, and a brief but fierce battle took place. Simba had a good supply of ammunition, and it was said that he accounted for eighteen of the enemy men, firing from thick bush until his bullets were finished. He died when one of the whites tossed a grenade into the bush; one of the two girls died with him, but the other took Simba's gun, thrust it under her dress and made her escape with Mburukenge. They went on to Dol Dol, and on the 29th reported to us the death of a hero, a loss we greatly mourned.
Continue Resting in Power General Simba.
See you at Scilla Gardens Kasarani on 8th August as we celebrate our MauMau heroes.
Side Note: I would love to know if he has any surviving family members.