Kung'u Karumba was a Kenyan
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
and freedom-fighter. He was a member of the
Kapenguria Six
The Kapenguria Six – Bildad Kaggia, Kung'u Karumba, Jomo Kenyatta, Fred Kubai, Paul Ngei, and Achieng' Oneko – were six leading Kenyan nationalists who were arrested in 1952, tried at Kapenguria in 1952–53, and imprisoned thereafter in No ...
, along with
Bildad Kaggia
Bildad Mwaganu Kaggia (1921 – 7 March 2005) was a Kenyan nationalist, activist, and politician. Kaggia was a member of the Mau Mau Central Committee. After independence he became a Member of Parliament. He established himself as a militant, fi ...
,
Jomo Kenyatta,
Fred Kubai,
Paul Ngei
The Honourable Paul Joseph Ngei (18 October 1923 – 15 August 2004) was a Kenyan politician who was imprisoned for his role in the anti-colonial movement, but who went on to hold several government ministerial positions after Kenya became indepe ...
, and
Achieng Oneko
Ramogi Achieng Oneko (1920–2007) was a Kenyan freedom fighter and a politician. In Kenya, he is considered as a national hero.
He was born in Tieng'a village in Uyoma sub-location in Bondo District in 1920 and educated at Maseno School.
De ...
.
Kungu Karumba along with five other men, including
Jomo Kenyatta, were arrested on October 20, 1952 in Kapenguria by British colonial governor, for being involved in a revolutionary group called the
Mau Mau, which led a revolt against British colonial rule. Reason as to why the case was held in Kapenguria was so that the Mau Mau could not get to free the men. The area was remote at the time. He was convicted and locked up in prison for seven years with hard labor before the country's independence on December 12, 1963.
Following Kenya's independence, he remained a close friend and influential advisor to Kenyatta who had risen to
Prime Minister of Kenya
The Prime Minister of Kenya was a post in the Kenyan government. The first Prime Minister of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta, who became Prime Minister in 1963. In 1964, Kenya became a republic, the post of Prime Minister was abolished and Jomo Kenyat ...
. Active as businessman, Karumba invested in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
. He loaned a substantial sum of money to the wife of Ugandan military commander
Isaac Maliyamungu
Isaac Maliyamungu, (died February 1984) also known as Isaac Lugonzo, was a military officer of the Uganda Army (UA) who served as one of President Idi Amin's most important officials and supporters during the Ugandan military dictatorship of 1971 ...
, but she did not pay back her debt. Karumba consequently travelled to Uganda in June 1974,
and disappeared, his fate unclear.
[Kenya History - Makes of a Nation](_blank)
/ref> Intelligence reports later implicated Maliyamungu of murdering Karumba during a disagreement over his wife's debts.
Family
Kung'u Karumba had a son called Abraham Karanja.
Business career
As a business man, Kung'u Karumba invested in the transport industry where he owned a fleet of long distance vehicles.
Legacy
In Kenya, Karumba is considered a national hero. His disappearance garnered much attention,
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References
The case that immortalised Kenya's 'Kapenguria Six'. (2017, July 1). Retrieved from https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Case-that-immortalised-Kenya-Kapenguria-Six-/434746-3995106-s8sxn5z/index.html
External links
Life in Kenya: The Land and the People, Modern and Traditional Ways - Godfrey Mwakikagile - Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karumba, Kung'u
Kenyan rebels
1902 births
1978 deaths
Prisoners and detainees of Kenya
Kenyan businesspeople