This person is Salim Bin Mkuu, who served as the headman of Kisii’s Nubian village around the turn of the 20th century.In Kisii, there is a road dedicated in his honor.
Mkuu knew that he enlisted in the Kings African Rifles as a bugler during Queen Victoria’s reign, although not knowing his exact birthdate.
He marched from Mombasa to Uganda, joined the Kings African Rifles in Zanzibar, and over many years, he was a vital part of Kavirondo’s law enforcement.
He was one of the Kings African Rifles soldiers that broke through the Nandi resistance to the railway line’s construction. Additionally, he participated in actions at Fort Ternan, Kericho, and Baringo, where he sustained a minor leg wound. He also witnessed action at Mumias during the early years of what is now Kenya.
Later, he was sent to Kisumu, where he remained until 1907, when he and other Battalion members were sent to Kisii.
He decided to remain in Kisii after leaving the army in 1909, where he later held the positions of road foreman and headman of a Nubian community. The majority of the roads in South Nyanza that connect Kisii with Homa Bay and Kisii with Kendu Bay were built by laborers that Mkuu organized and oversaw.
Mkuu left retirement to serve in the military again after World War 1 broke out in 1914 and remained there until the war’s end in 1918. He fought the Germans while mostly stationed in Tanganyika during that time.
He went back to his position as the headman of the Nubian hamlet, where he continued to serve after the war.
As one of the first observers of the settlements surrounding Muhoroni, which the surrounding tribes claimed, Mkuu was asked to testify before the Land Commission on September 19, 1932: “When I arrived from Mombasa, the Railway had only reached Voi,” he stated. I met Captain Georges when I was serving with the Uganda Rifles. Nairobi did not have bomas, but it did have Masai livestock trails. While we did not see their homes, we did encounter several Masai.
After departing from Nairobi, we visited Mr. Hall’s Boma. From there, we traveled to Fort Hall, through Naivasha, across the Kikuyu Escarpment, and finally to Gilgil. After leaving Gilgil, we traveled to Eldama Ravine, Major Bagrall’s station (KAPSABET) in Nandi. We left Nandi, traveled to Mumias, and then reached Kisumu.”The Jaluo lived somewhere inland, not on the lakeshore, and Kisumu was just open terrain close to the lake. In Kisumu, Mr. Hobley founded the boma. After the battle at Uyoma, we proceeded to Lake Baringo in Suk territory. A European shot a crocodile at Lake Baringo, which was close to one of our camps.
It was a very arid land with white dirt, patches of parched grass, and an abundance of stones. There, we observed some small wildlife.
He answered, “The Jaluo came up to a place called Kitoto, near Kano, and no people lived where the present railway line now runs,” after being questioned about the area surrounding Muhoroni. The entire region surrounding Muhoroni and Kibigori was covered in forests and only home to elephants; no human beings were present. The population did not move up to the railway line until after it was constructed, and they finally moved to the area south of the line.”
Mkuu was often referred to as “our mzee” with affection by the people of Kisii. He was usually seen wearing a bright red, intricately decorated kanzu and his official crown. They also agreed with him that it was great that Salim Muku Road was the name of one of Kisii’s streets.
However, his senior age did not seem to impact either his tongue or memory. When recalling his numerous postings across the nation at the beginning of the 20th century, he was able to name every District Commissioner in charge of each location, the military officers in charge of each area he served, and he could even recount in great detail some of the customs of various tribes.
Mkuu continued to wear the medal that King Edward VII had given him for his devoted devotion, and his badge of honor from Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation year was prominently displayed against the red of his robes. Serving the Commonwealth under six kings made him proud.
