A PIONEER PARENT’S NYANDARUA: THEN, NOW AND ALWAYS

A PIONEER Parent’s Journey

I emerged from the dense forests of Mount Kenya
my hideout while fighting the British colonists
It was the sunset of the year 1963 when the Union Jack lowered and
our flag was raised displaying its beautiful stripes of
Red, White, Green and Black
symbolizing Blood, Peace, Pasture and Motherland
It was a magical moment to savor but also to ponder

When the song and dance celebrating independence had died down,
It was the dawn of 1964, my year of reckoning
I looked around my fathers compound and the strip of land
on which it stood
I looked at my brothers despondent faces, and my uncles too,
I looked at my beautiful youthful energetic wife and our five young children,
I was their only hope for a better future

I headed North to the “white highlands”
The new Settlement Schemes vacated by the British colonists
The highlands were freezing cold
my entire body ached and my joints felt stiff as a board
but the lush fertile land with gently rolling hills lured me in
I needed to put down roots somewhere
and my young family needed a place to call home

I packed up whatever little we could carry and headed North
leaving everything and everybody else behind
relocating my young family to this strange land up North
We hastily put up shelter and fenced off our new land
while shivering in the cold as we broke ground on this virgin land

We introduced ourselves to our new neighbors
noticing their Kikuyu accent was different from our own
But they were now the only “family” we could count on
Over the years, their daughter married into my family
and gave me beautiful grandchildren with names like Watetu and Wahome
I dont notice their accent anymore, now we are one and the same

I watched my children take their place in society
Speaking the language of the colonial masters with ease
Their careers taking them to places I could never have imagined
They brought spouses from all over the country
extending our family name to national status and beyond
I now cheer my children on, as they guide their own children
to take their place in this society we have build together from scratch

With hunched shoulders, a bald head, wrinkled face, dimming eyesight
and walking gingerly with my well worn cane,
I can finally sit back and enjoy the sunset without a care in the world. Why?
Because I ran when life demanded I run,
I fought when my country desperately needed to drive out the colonists,
I served when society required my services and
I was a parent when my children needed raising

I am proud of the Nyandarua I see today
compared to the Nyandarua I stepped into in the 1960s
I am proud of the strong communities we built together
disregarding the Gikuyus we originated from
It was not easy, but we soldiered on without ever looking backwards
We had roots in Gikuyu, but our children and grandchildren have their very deep roots planted in Nyandarua just as we had hoped for them
Nyandarua has its legitimate owners now, who are so proud to call it HOME

A parent always hopes their children will have a better life than theirs was
I raised Teachers, Farmers, Engineers, Businessmen, Auto Mechanics, Accountants, Corporate Managers and even Housewives
My children are now providing labor force in every sector of our economy
and I am proud of each one of them and their contribution to society
I know I am a huge success not because of anything I own but
because of the well adjusted human beings I raised who are now standing tall in their respective fields and making a difference in society
My heart swells with pride and gratitude just thinking about them all

This Pioneer Parent’s time is almost up and I will rest peacefully
knowing that the bold but scary decision I made back in the 1960s to relocate my family to the freezing highlands of Nyandarua was not in vain
My children and future generations who bear my name or DNA will forever have a home here in Nyandarua. This is HOME.
This is my Nyandarua, Then, Now and Always.

Mothers

PIONEER MOTHER

PIONEER MOTHER

When my beloved asked we move to some highlands up North
I did not waste any time wondering where that was or what awaited us there
because I had learned to be contented in any situation
always ready for whatever life threw at us

Packing up our belongings was easy, we did not have much to begin with
So, with nothing but hope and faith in our hearts,
we made the longest journey of our lives, to a new life we knew nothing about

I had never seen such huge tracts of land owned by indigenous people
And here now was a chunk of beautiful fertile land with my name on it
I looked at my beloved and I saw something familiar in his eyes
He was as scared as I was to start a new life here
But there was no turning back now, we were here for the long haul

My beloved hit the road to bring supplemental income
as I broke ground on this massive land to make a living
The highlands were freezing cold, the bone chilling kind of cold
But I was ready to make a home for my family no matter what

I loved the smell of the freshly plowed fields
and the softness of the grass my children played on
I was fascinated by the gigantic Eucalyptus trees that swayed in the wind
releasing a cool menthol scent in the air, a scent I had never experienced before
I knew I was in ‘foreign’ territory without a doubt, but I was ready to adapt

We introduced ourselves to our new neighbors over creamy cups of tea
and shared stories of the Gikuyus we came from
We quickly realized there was a common thread that ran through our backgrounds
connecting us all to the common purpose that brought us here
We slowly loosened our grip on the Gikuyus we came from and
poured our heart and soul into building our new community instead

I voiced my opinion in public forums representing my family with pride
I helped my children assimilate in our newly formed community
I mustered courage and resilience, virtues I would need on a daily basis
to run a massive farm and raise a bunch of children with an absent husband
but when my beloved came home, I relinquished all power to him
because even in his absence, he was still the undisputed head of our household

Like a good Drill Sergeant prepares his troops for combat
I taught my children hard work, pushing them to their limits
because I wanted them to succeed wherever the tides of life carried them
I walked tall beside them on their graduation days and listened with fascination
as they spoke fluently in the colonial masters language, a language that had been used to insult, intimidate and humiliate us in our own country
but now, to hear my children speak the language skillfully and “own” it
they had finally taken away its oppressive power and they were now using it to broaden
their horizons, walking through some doors that only the educated could access
And with that, my job of positioning my children to take over the running of
our country now and in the future was finally accomplished, and I was extremely proud

I watched my children grow into mature adults
I accompanied them to their “uthoni” and received their in-laws to our home
I helped them plan their weddings and
wore whatever color and style of outfit they chose for me
I welcomed their spouses into our family and taught them our family values
And I proudly watched them become parents, giving me countless grandchildren

I stood strong for my children when their father took his last breath
I cried myself to sleep every night, but I never let my children see the tears
I had to remain strong for them and for our family
I now know that God prepares us for the future He has in store for us
I spent my youth alone with the children as my beloved fought in the forest
and later as he languished in colonial detention for nearly a decade
Upon relocation to the highlands he was away on business for weeks at a time
And now he had gone on ahead leaving me behind with the children, yet again
I miss my beloved every day, especially when we celebrate family milestones
But I am comforted to see my children turn into their father
He would be so proud to see how they have blossomed and thrived
taking their place in society just like he did during his lifetime
Each of our children carries a part of him in the way they look, act, laugh, walk and talk
And I see him in the grandchildren too
Giving me a lot of comfort and hope for the future
My beloved will never be forgotten, his spirit and his legacy lives on

My Children and grandchildren dot on me like I was their firstborn child
and I relish their love, attention and generosity every time
I sit back and enjoy the companionship of my neighbors, church and community
We reminisce on times gone by and share the memories of those we loved and lost
but still hold dear in our hearts and thoughts
We proudly take stock of how far we have come since our introductions in the 1960s when we were strangers from different Gikuyus but
now we celebrate our new identity that we acquired together
We are the Nyandaruans: an identity we are truly proud of
An identity that is now proudly owned by our children and grandchildren

We remember the Gikuyus we left behind in our youth many decades ago
but at the end of every such conversation, we always come to the same conclusion
eloquently captured in the words of the song “But I wonder could I live there anymore”
a smooth nostalgic song by the famous country singer Charley Pride, the chorus goes
“It’s nice to think about it, maybe even visit, But I wonder could I live there anymore”

My life has been full and overflowing, I am blessed beyond measure
and Nyandarua is my HOME where my descendants can always call HOME
I am so glad we moved here and I know my children are proud of their home NYANDARUA

 

Children

PIONEER Son’s and Daughters

From dawn to dusk our childhood was marked with heavy toil
In the freezing Nyandarua cold, in pounding rain and in blistering heat
there was never rest for these weary Pioneer children
We never understood why our parents worked us like donkeys
We almost doubted their love, wondering at times if we were adopted
They drove us hard to complete every task with precision and purpose and
demanded good performance at school for an education they never had

They shaped our lives by talking to us endlessly about life in general
Sharing their painful life experiences to guide, warn and encourage us
We rolled our eyes at their constant, lengthy, “boring” lectures
But as we grew up, their words became the foundation of our lives and we are still using them today to build our lives and raise our children
because we realized their wisdom was time tested and supersedes any academic or professional qualifications we may possess today

Before the Corporate world demanded productivity and efficiency
My parents had already instilled those values as our only work ethic
back home in Nyandarua
Before scientists told us of global warming,
My parents had already warned us something drastic
was happening to our weather patterns
Before Wangare Mathaai put up a fight to save trees and replenish forests
My father had already made us aware there is no life without trees and made us plant them by the thousands throughout our childhood
Before teachers demanded respect,
discipline and hard work from their students
My parents had already instilled those values in us in good measure
Before leaders pleaded with the nation to shun tribalism,
violence and civil disobedience
My parents had already used their painful MauMau experiences to hammer those warnings into our heads throughout our childhood even to this date
Before the women’s liberation movement swept the globe,
my father already demostrated to us the power of women by
entrusting the running of a massive farm to our mother,
a job that she did to perfection while raising a bunch of us kids,
silently teaching us to respect and honor women as equal partners

Our careers took us to world’s my parents knew nothing about
We advanced and even attained a measure of success
But that did not intimidate our parents or made them feel inferior to us
Instead, they acknowledged our success but remained our undisputed superiors warning us of pitfalls of success and constantly reminding us never to forget who we are and where we came from
They wanted us to remain grounded
embracing whatever success God gave us with humility and gratitude
“Success and wealth does not define who you are. It is humility and dignity that makes the world pause and recognize who you really are”
That is the moral compass our parents instilled in us unapologetically
We have not always lived up to those ideals,
but even when we deviate from them, we eventually turn to that compass because we know it is always pointing us to the right direction

We watched our parents work together and accomplish
great things together
We knew the sacrifices they made for our country’s struggle for independence and the heavy price they paid for that choice
We knew their struggle in acquiring our land,
developing it and finally owning it
We knew the sacrifices they made to get us an education they never had
And we now know the health struggles our father gallantly bore until his final breath, playing down the seriousness of it all to save us from worrying
And we now know how our mother stood strong for us, disregarding her own pain and loss to keep our family moving forward
Time has marched on and the torch has now been passed to my generation,
the second generation of Nyandaruans
Our parents prepared us well to be worthy inheritors of this land
We now understand why they taught us hard work in our growing years
They knew we had our work cut out for us if Nyandarua was to remain standing and scale new heights of development
Sometimes I feel so inadequate compared to the powerhouse Pioneer Parents who raised us
but then I remember how well they prepared us for the future
But I still wonder if my generation and our children could make the kind of sacrifices our parents made for the country, and pioneer new frontiers like they did, a prospect that often sends chills down my spine

But then I realize: We may lack the boldness and courage to do exactly as our parents did to confront the battles of their time
But we have their example to emulate and an education that
broadens our horizons beyond our parent’s
We may not face the same struggles they did or fight the same way they did but we can face our current struggles with the same attitude
and commitment that brought our parents victory in the
struggles of their generation

Wherever I work and live, whatever properties I may own elsewhere
nothing really compares to my portion of land in the highlands
gifted to me by my warrior Pioneer Parents
where the air is fresh, the scenery beautiful, the soil rich and fertile, the milk creamy, the harvests bountiful and the tall trees swaying in the cold breeze reminding me of my childhood innocence
A time when my siblings and I had no care in the world
filling our home with endless chatter, mischief and hearty laughter
A time when our parents were youthful, energetic and healthy,
Our home a beehive of activity every waking moment
now replaced by an eerie quiet that stirs up both sadness and nostalgia
I hope my children will value this land as much as my parents did
teaching their children and future generations to treasure it and nurture it
because it was purchased and developed at a very high price
of blood, sweat and tears
I hope they will want to invest here and build even stronger communities they can be proud of and the world can marvel at
This is my parents home and I am so glad they left Gikuyu and came here
This is our home because this is where our roots are deeply planted.
It is my Nyandarua, Now and Always