Article by: Mwikya Cornelius
Hate her or like her, Aisha Jumwa not only evokes the memories of Mekatilili wa Menza (or simply the Mother of Katilili) but she is the very reincarnation of that gallant freedom fighter of the Giriama People in particular and Mijikenda Community in general.
For those not in the know, Mekatilili was the first African woman, nay, the first African native, to slap a mzungu, one Arthur Champion, the Coast British Colonial Administrator, on 13 August 1913.
As far as we know, Aisha Jumwa is the first Kenyan, even a man, to ever successfully walk out on Raila and stand a real chance to emancipate the Mijikenda from the evils of the ODM cult in the Coast once and for all.
We all know Aisha Jumwa wins each and every battle she enters. It’s a shame that after she did so much in helping Raila hold at bay Jubilee’s onslaught into Kilifi in 2017, Asante ya Raila ni Teke!
But Aisha, like Mekatilili who walked 1,000KM from Mumias to Kilifi, is never afraid to walk her talk for any distance, however hard the journey. she had promised to lead her people to Sugoi, it was a done deal!
But even Mekatilili needed assistance and she got it from Wanje wa Mwandori Kola. With him, Mekatilili performed the Kifudu dance, hirtheto reserved for funeral ceremonies but she did it from town to town to signify the death of “colonialism” and thus attracted huge following to herself. Likewise Aisha juma dances daily and there’s attributed significance to that
Aisha too has Amason Kingi by her side and where Mwandori was a medicine man, Kingi is the talisman of the Kilifi politics. There is a Kifudu dance in the offing in Malindi and this time it is happening to mark the natural death of ODM followership in the Coast.check the recent mijikenda nominees now kingi is a speaker and Aisha a CS. Nine slots ain’t a joke, mijikenda means 9 and they have 9 appointments courtesy of Aisha juma.
However,Mekatilili and Mwandori didn’t stop at just Kifudu dance. They organized a large gathering at Kaya Fungo where they administered Mukushekushe oath among women and Fisi among men vowing never to cooperate with the enemy.
And today, even from afar, any keen observer can sight a build up of a critical mass around Jumwa & Kingi that’s going to culminate in a sacred oath to oppose and reject everything Orange in Coast and beyond, now and in 2027.
You may not see Mukeshekushe or Fisi being administered again at Kaya Fungo physically, but you will hear and see the entire coast leadership that matters (not Arabs like Joho etc) rally in support of Jumwa & Kingi against Raila & Joho to commit the people in spirit to the worthy cause of Kenya Kwanza.
History is always born of coincidences. It’s interesting to note that Mekatilili became opposed to oppression after one of her brothers called Mwaradu, was taken away by Arab Slavers never to be seen again.
And then today, we see Aisha Jumwa stand up against the oppression of Mijikenda by the offsprings of Arab Slavers (I am assuming you know, as a matter of public knowledge, that Joho is from Zanzibar, the original home of the Arabs who enslaved Mijikenda).
Nothing can stop Aisha Jumwa in her quest to emancipate her people just like Mekatilili before her. Why? Aisha is lucky because in Giriama Society, women enjoy certain privileges, including that of speaking before the elders.
If widowhood could not put Mekatilili down in her quest to free the Mijikenda, what will stop Aisha Jumwa with 99% of her community behind her plus an entire nation tired of Raila’s tyranny of poverty?
I didn’t tell you why Mekatilili slapped a mzungu. She had been enraged by his oppressive demands against her people and it happened during a very heated exchange.
At the risk of highlighting the obvious, that is a mirror image of what led to the fall out between Aisha Jumwa and ODM Leadership. Aisha stood her ground and said no one will stop her from mingling with other leaders (as she is elected to do) in her quest tourgent development in Malindi and the larger Kilifi County.
And ODM, like the British Colonialists who expelled Mekatilili from Malindi to Mumias, now thinks they have scored a fast one on Aisha by purportedly expelling her from their God-forsaken cultic and dictatorial outfit called ODM.
Truth is, you can try pulling this Mijikenda woman down, but you can’t succeed in keeping her down. Like dough full of yeast, she keeps rising with every push and pressing till she stands erect like the Vasco da Gama Tower in Malindi.
You saw ODM try to push Aisha Jumwa down , but today we see her still soaring higher and higher like a Kozi. And like Mekatilili who walked from Prison in Mumias to be received back in Kilifi as a heroine, Aisha Jumwa’s political career took an upward trajectory after the ODM’s heinous announcement 6 months ago.
Only one Mijikenda smacked Raila on the back in 2009, but as we speak, it is a throng waiting to look Raila in the eye and drive him out of Malindi & Kilifi when he tries his misfortune there next time. She will be the most powerful woman CS since independence. Personally I wish her well.
Nevertheless, Aisha Jumwa has earned a special place in the history book of politics of Kenya alongside the likes of Wangari Maathai, Gov. Ngilu and Gov. Laboso who beat men in their game. It’s not everyday we see a woman take on a tinpot dictator like Aisha has confronted the hypocrisy of Raila.
And for that, Aisha Jumwa has earned herself the honour of basking in the shadow of Mekatilili and shall no doubt be elected the first Woman Governor in the Coast Region in 2027! Not to mention, Aisha Jumwa and Amason Kingi have already sealed Kilifi for Kenya Kwanza in 2027!
