28/04/2025
Elijah Masinde wa Nameme Mwasame
This is the story Omubichachi clansman, celebrated by the Dini ya Musambwa movement, a man who played a crucial role in Kenya's fight for liberation and was officially recognized as a national hero in 2011. His life and spiritual influence were even chronicled by The New York Times Magazine.
Elijah wa Nameme is believed to have been born between 1909 and 1911, around the close of the devastating rinderpest outbreak (known as Khaoya) that swept through Bukusu lands, ending during the Kolongolo age set in 1910. Born in Kibingei, young Elijah would captivate audiences, both young and old, with his vivid stories about the Masaaba communities, including both Babukusu and Bagisu, often narrating from the Kitayi Hills.
As he grew, Elijah Masinde his widely known name became a talented and spirited boy with a deep love for football. The son of Mwasame, he eventually captained local football teams in Kimilili and, in 1930, represented Kenya in the Gossage Cup against Uganda. One popular tale recalls him kicking a ball so high at Ematukhuli that it was said to have disappeared into the sky forever!
By the 1940s, Elijah had become a junior elder residing in Maeni and had emerged as a central figure in Dini ya Musambwa. Before fully establishing the movement, he first broke away from the African Israel Church, forming Judah Israel Church. His religious journey included pilgrimages to sacred sites such as Maeko Hills (Sikulu sya Maeko), Sang’alo Hills (wa Mulia), and Mount Masaaba.
Passionately devoted to traditional Bukusu ways, Elijah preached adherence to the teachings of Wele Mukhobe we Bakuka and often prayed at river sources like Lwakhakha, Kibingei, Kibisi, Kuywa, and Kamukuywa. He warned against blindly adopting foreign cultures, saying, "Engelanio embi, bukhabe nga namunyu"Imitating foreign ways will turn you into hyenas." Revered as a seer, many believed he possessed the gift of prophecy.
Elijah underwent the traditional Bukusu circumcision rites in 1928, coinciding with the construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway near Bungoma. He belonged to the Machengo age group. By 1932, he married Sarah Nanyama, later adding Rebecca from the Bagisu region, and eventually fathered 27 children across six marriages.
Becoming increasingly anti-colonial, Elijah, alongside peers like Walukuke, Khasoya, and Walumoli, mobilized the community to resist British rule. He encouraged followers to destroy their colonial IDs and refuse taxation. A stern reformer, he introduced strict religious practices, such as priests facing away from the congregation during service and women kneeling when speaking. He also enforced modesty in women’s dress even once ejecting several women wearing mini-skirts from a matatu (even though it was a vehicle introduced by Europeans).
To some, he was a figure of fear due to his mystical powers; to others, he was an inspiring leader. Witnesses like Enos Simiyu recounted incidents at Maeni where Elijah reportedly summoned rain and death upon those who opposed him, such as the shopkeeper Moses Sangura.
As a seer from the Wabomba lineage renowned for producing prophets Elijah attracted the colonial government's ire. District Commissioner C.J. Denton labeled him a threat, linking him with the growing Mau Mau resistance. After attacking Chief Namutala in Kimilili, Elijah went into hiding but was betrayed by a confidant, Omari Kuchikhi, and captured near Chesamisi on Valentine’s Day, 1948. He was imprisoned but had already prophesied that Chief Namutala’s authority would end before his own release, which proved true. He was later detained at Kamiti Maximum Prison and Mathari Hospital under claims of insanity.
Upon his release on May 12, 1960, Elijah reinvigorated his activism. Dini ya Musambwa expanded even into West Pokot, where hundreds of its followers faced imprisonment. Elijah collaborated with prominent freedom leaders like Tom Mboya, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and Masinde Muliro. Although initially aligning with KANU, he later found himself at odds with the government, which banned Dini ya Musambwa in 1968.
In 1986, while imprisoned at Kodiaga Prison, Elijah's health deteriorated. Knowing his end was near, he instructed his son Wafula where he wished to be buried beside the Kumwirurusia tree. Elijah wa Nameme passed away on June 8, 1987, at the age of 75. His legacy lives on through the annual pilgrimages by Dini ya Musambwa followers to his home in Maeni.
On August 29, 2011, Prime Minister Raila Odinga presided over a ceremony officially recognizing Elijah as a national hero. His life—combining religious leadership, prophetic vision, and resistance to colonialism continues to inspire.
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