NAIROBI, Kenya—Feb 2, 2026—Kiambati wa Njora, the last surviving of the 12 Mau Mau Generals who led Kenya’s armed struggle against British colonial rule, has died at the age of 106.
Family members confirmed that the veteran freedom fighter passed away peacefully, marking the end of a living link to one of the most defining chapters in Kenya’s fight for independence.
Kiambati wa Njora was among the senior commanders of the Mau Mau movement, which waged a guerrilla war in the forests of Central Kenya in the 1950s, challenging colonial authority and laying the groundwork for Kenya’s eventual independence in 1963.
As one of the 12 recognised Mau Mau Generals, Kiambati played a key role in organising fighters, mobilising communities, and sustaining resistance despite brutal crackdowns by the colonial government, which included mass detentions, executions and forced displacement.
In the decades after independence, Kiambati lived quietly, even as many Mau Mau veterans struggled with poverty and delayed recognition for their role in the liberation struggle. In later years, the Kenyan state formally acknowledged the Mau Mau as freedom fighters, and surviving veterans received public recognition.
His death comes at a time when Kenya continues to reflect on its colonial past and the sacrifices made by those who fought for self-rule.
Kiambati wa Njora’s passing leaves no surviving Mau Mau General, closing a historic chapter in Kenya’s liberation struggle.
