- PART 1: Remembering Chetambe War – Lumboka To Chetambe, Resisting Nabongo Mumia, The Legend Of Wakoli The Freedom Fighter and Chetambe Ifile The Great Tachoni Warrior
- PART 1A: Remembering Chetambe War – The First Battle Of Lumboka
- PART 1B: The Heroics Of Freedom Fighter Wakoli khwa Mukisu At The Battle Of Mukhweya – Remembering Chetambe War
- PART 1C: Shujaas Of Lumboka War -Honoring Shujaa Lyambila, Shujaa Maina and His Sons, and The 400 Bukusu Freedom Fighters Who Shed Their Blood – REMEMBERING CHETAMBE WAR
- PART 1D: Shujaa Chetambe Ifile, The Fort And The Legend Of Bukusu Freedom Fighter Who Bullets Couldn’t Stop – Remembering Chetambe War
- PART 1E: The Human Cost- Chetambe War Casualties, Fate Of Freedom Fighters Wakoli Khwa Mukisu and Chetambe Ifile
In this penultimate installment of part 1 of our series honoring the mashujaa of the Bukusu resistance, we honor the heroes of Chetambe War of 1895.
We started off this series by defining the time and place of the different battles that were the culmination of the Bukusu resistance to imperialists and slave traders. I gave directions to Chetambe hills in Webuye, where the ruins of Chetambe fort stand today. However, I failed to be exact. Mr. Hobely’s account of Chetambe war gives the coordinates of Olukhoba lwa Chetambe as 0° 38’ N 34° 46’ E. Moreover, let me not fail again by not mentioning that the coordinates map an African military masterpiece. I talk of nothing else than the fort of Chetambe.
REMEMBERING CHETAMBE WAR: THE MAN, THE FORT
The fort was designed by warrior leader Omwami Chetambe Ifile. In his honor, ostensibly by chance too, the hills in Webuye that we talked of are named after him. The fort of Chetambe was an imposing structure built of stone, mud and timber walls. So impressive it was that Hobely in his account admits to the genius of Olukoba lwa Chetambe.
Our scouts reported that the enemy were in force in a great walled village about a mile or so away. We scrambled up the escarpment and found ourselves on a bare flat plain, with the village some half-mile distant. It was quite a fortress, about 250 yards in diameter, with loop-holed mud walls nine feet high, a ditch six feet deep and low gates at intervals
I find it not amusing that the military mind that designed such an important structure is celebrated. Admittedly, Chetambe war is a forgotten struggle in the long walk to freedom of modern Kenya. It’s heroes hardly get a mention when we list our Mashujaa as a country. Sadly, even among us children of Mulembe, the memory of Omwami Chetambe Ifile has been lost in infantile sibling squabbles between the Tachoni and Bukusu. We would rather fight over who has ‘the proper account’ of the Chetambe war, than honor our heroes.
Safe Heaven
It is a known fact that every struggle needs a safe heaven. I find it strange how readily we acclaim the safe houses of Jericho estate in Nairobi, and leave out historic locations like Olukhoba lwa Chetambe. We are quick to hail the importance of these safe heavens in offering respite to the pains of comrades in the college of modern freedom fighters. However, we fail to give the likes of Omwami Chetambe Ifile the honor they deserve. Think about it, hosting Bukusu fleeing from Lumboka in the lead up to the Chetambe war, in my eyes is no less than harboring Jews in the height of the Nazi charge. With the possibility that pricey targets such as Shujaa Wakoli khwa Mukisu were among those on the run, the courage of the community of Chetambe will never be forgotten.
OLWENE LULECHANGA
This act of comradeship in the struggle by our Tachoni brothers was a brave (in effect a death wish) task. It required heart as it required mind. For Omwami Chetambe Ifile and Chief Sifuma Waiyeya, preparation for war included warning their people of the impending massacre. Chief Sifuma the political head of the Tachoni had received a message from a friend with a warning: Olwene lulechanga. This Luhya saying means a thunderstorm was coming which symbolized trouble. On the strength of this message, women and children were encouraged to flee. However the fort was readied by warriors from Tachoni and Bukusu tribes ready to fight in what came to be known as Chetambe war.
And fight they did. Once again, I will be looking into the details of this last great battle in part two of this series. However, it is imperative that I honor the shujaas of this last battle of the Chetambe war. Unfortunately, aside from shujaa Chetambe Ifile, our research is yet to yield any names. Nonetheless, all accounts of Chetambe war offer that the blood of more than 400 heroes who died at Lumboka was just but a drop in the ocean of blood that was the Chetambe war. However, even in the face of this massacre, the following two quotes (both describing the valor of one Bukusu freedom fighter) are forever etched in our collective memory.
The Legend Of The Chetambe War Bukusu Freedom Fighter Who Bullets Could’nt Stop
One man with a badly burned left arm entered the house but then left, saying he prefered to die outside …. Some Europeans who entered the fort became frightened by the fighting and one of them hid behind a granary. The man with a burned left hand saw him and speared him and then he was also slain.
A similar incident described by Holbey in his memoir of the Chetambe War paints a even more hair rising picture of this Lwanda Magere esque Bukusu freedom fighter.
We all had some narrow escapes from warriors who charged up with spear and shield well neigh to the rifle’s muzzle….. I have a particularly vivid recollection of a warrior who charged down on Sitwell and myself. A volley from a detachment of Sudanese failed to check his rush, and he only ended his career at our feet, checked by a lucky shot from Sitwell’s revolver.
Disclaimer
This account is likely to differ from the many other accounts of the events of interest. There might even be deviations in the description of characters. Precise flagging of dates and time may also occur. The challenge faced by the 19th century East African historian of a lack of proper records in one not easy to navigate. Moreover, as stated at the introductory piece to this series, one of our aims is to make this effort of remembrance of our heroes as digestible to the reader as can be. To this end, we often opt for convergence in accounts of the events as a key measure of validity. Moreover, we also frequently elect to highlight nuances from different accounts. As stated, our primary sources will be listed at the end of the series for your further reading.
