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CHIEF KARIITHI KAMWETI

BIRTH AND CHILDHOOOD

Chief Kariithi was born in 1872 in Mutitu Village in Ichuga sub-location which is at Mathira Division in Nyeri County His biological father was called Kamweti Githanduri and his mother was Nyangui wa Kamweti. He was the fifth born child and the third born son of the couple. His father Kamweti worked as a honey monger for many years and was nicknamed (Githui) which means honey monger. After marriage to his first wife around 1863, Kamweti put his hands in Livestock farming and his Livestock farming was picking around 1872 when Kariithi was born.

When Kariithi was born his father recommend that he be named Munene which meant a leader but the birth attendants named him 'Kãrîîthî" which meant " little herd boy". The name impressed his father Kamweti since that name promoted his Livestock farming business and that's how Kariithi became his official name.

INITIATION

Circumcision was a very signicant rite of passege and the final season before circumcision was a happy-go-lucky time for boys and was also a period of responsibilities, misbehaving,eating in their mother's pot. Boys were circumcised around the age of 20 years and girks at puberty. Kariithi faced the knife in 1982 and that time there was nubians fighters and handymen so the Kikuyu elders name their age group as "Riika Unubi"

MARRIAGE

Chief Kariithi married at the age of 22 years in 1894. As Kariithi wealth and stature grew he married a total of 36 women including two Kamba wives he inherited when his father Kamweti died.

LEADERSHIP

Kariithi's leardership status in his military skills and daring in battle.The bold of actions marked Kariithi useful and he was selected a village headmen around 1907 and fomerly appointed under the Native authority Ordinance gazetted on 25 April 1913 and he was made Chief in 1913. Kariithi was a founder Member of Kikuyu Central Association in 1920's and believed that Africans had the ability to rule themselves. Kariithi was fired as a chief by British DC in 1935 after he defended his people from what he believed was unfair treatment by the authorities. To cool the raising temperature the DC called a by election to elect Kariithi's replacement and Kariithi's favorite son (chief Muhindi wa Kariithi) easily took over the seat with an overwhelming majority. Kariithi supported MAU MAU in 1952 after his meeting with the then British Minister of state of colonies Lennox Boyd which he described as fruitless.