The man who is credited with founding Mukuru kwa Njenga slum died on Tuesday, February 9, news of his passing hardly making it beyond Nairobi's famous slum named after him.
Njenga died aged 85 years as a result of a heart condition that has seen him spend most of time in bed at home or in hospital. According to family, mzee died as he was being rushed to hospital.
The old man lived in his home located withing the 647 acres slum located in Embakasi South but extends to Makadara and Starehe Constituency.
It is one of the largest slums in Nairobi and stretches along the Nairobi Ngong river, situated on waste lands in the industrial area of the city between the Outer Ring Road and the North Airport Road and Mombasa road. Mukuru has villages: Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Sinai, Paradise, Jamaica, Kingstone, Mariguini, Fuata Nyayo and Kayaba. The population of the slum exceeds 100,000
In January 2015, Mukuru kwa Njenga residents signed and sent a memo to President Uhuru Kenyatta, acknowledging Njenga as chairman of the founder members of the slum.
The slum coined its name from him after he became popular way before independence for his business acumen and wisdom in solving residents' problems.
John Kariuki, a personal assistant to the late Mr.Njenga, related how he became popular. Opposite his house, is Kwa Njenga Manyanga Bar, a favorite spot for many residents in the area.
“Whenever someone had a problem, Njenga would help. And so the common discussions became, ‘Twende tukakunywe huko kwa Njenga. Kuna starehe huko’ or ‘Wikendi hii tukunywe kwa Njenga,’” he commented.
Nancy Wanjiru, his daughter, narrated how he upgraded from selling Chang'aa to bottled beer.
Being one of the two people to have a valley (Mukuru) named after him in Nairobi, the first being Mukuru kwa Ruben, a White settler, he leaves a legacy.
“When Njenga was at home, he studied at a mission school in Loreto, Limuru. From Loreto, he got initiated. That was in 1952,” said Njenga's cousin Giath.
“We don’t know when he came here. He never returned to the countryside,” he added.
He is said to have moved to Nairobi in the precolonial era after the government relocated Limuru residents to Kamiti.
In an interview with the standard, the late the late Njenga said he moved to the city at 22 years of age.
"Since I did not have sufficient formal education, some friends directed me to the quarries where menial jobs were readily available," he said.
Quarries were the main source of employment in the area at that time, and left behind valleys hence the name (Mukuru).
He later quit the mining job and started a liquor business, then turned to sell pork to the workers at the quarry.
According to his family, Njenga has left behind two wives, Agnes Njeri and Mary Wangui, who have seven children each, a lot of grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Ouf of the children, only thirteen are alive.
What started out as a residence to 3,900 people grew to host thousands of residents whom the late Njenga gladly helped.
“He dealt with conflict resolutions and such. When populations shot up, he and the area chief could show someone where to put up a structure,” remarked Wanjiru.
“Land grabbers from different places came and started to grab then sell to wananchi, and it wasn’t his wish. If he had that greed, he could have owned the whole of Kwa Njenga. Nobody could have stopped him.”
“Mzee’s legacy is that he wasn’t so greedy as to grab the Mukuru kwa Njenga land,” she added.
Mr.Njenga will be laid to rest on Wednesday, February 17 at the Lang’ata cemetery which was his burial place of choice according to his daughter.
Mukuru resident's greatest hope is to be awarded title deeds, have better infrastructure and amenities even as the founder is no more.
