JOHANA NJUMBI (1886–1991): THE PIONEER AFRICAN LEADER IN MUTIRA MISSION

Abstract

The article sets out to retrieve the critical role of the pioneer African clergyman, Johana Njumbi (1886–1991), in the Mutira mission of Kirinyaga, Kenya. Despite the death of the first wife in 1921, and the second one in 1952, Njumbi surged on to provide leadership in the new socioreligious dispensation following the introduction of Christianity in the first half of the 20th century. His stewardship is seen in his emphasis on ‘modern’ education, farming and medical services. As Mutira mission marked one hundred years of missionary Christianity (1912–2012), in August 2012, it is imperative to assess the pedigree and the religious-social life times of the key character who contributed immensely in mid-wifing Christianity and modern education in an area hitherto unknown in the map of the world. In so doing, Njumbi catapulted the desolate hills and valleys of Mutira mission into greater heights of human progress. As the area produced its second Bishop, Joseph Karimi Kibucwa, in December 2012, after Daniel Munene Ngoru proceeded to his retirement upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65, one cannot fail to see the fruits of the pioneer clergy who persuaded the reluctant locals to ‘accept the white man’s religion and education as our own’ under difficult circumstances. In other words, did Njumbi’s leadership leave a lasting legacy in Mutira mission? Does the maternal role of Canon Njumbi’s wife, Agness Wambui (1914–1952), have any relevance for African motherhood today? The materials in this article are gathered mainly through oral interviews, reading of extensive literature and archival sources.