Kubu Kubu
General Kubu Kubu was the most venerated freedom hero within the Embu country (in Kenya, East Africa). His name means "heavy thud" and was coined out of the thud his feet made because of his heavy build. His roots are still cloudy but Kubu Kubu is known to have lived in Kirimiri Forest Hill, in Mũkũũrî sub-location, in his life as a war leader.
Kubu Kubu was the de facto leader of the Mau Mau Uprising battalion within the Embu country. He was one of the key leaders of Mau Mau in Kenya, alongside Dedan Kimathi, Musa Mwariama, and Waruhiu Itote,[1] alias General China. Itote widely mentions Kubu Kubu in his 1967 autobiography, "Mau Mau" General (East African Publishing House).
Kubu Kubu was very feared by locals and colonialists. Around 1954, colonialists tracked him down and lynched him near Muragari Primary School in Mukuuri. He was not interred conventionally. Colonialists made a huge pyre and set his body on fire, against Embu customs. They forced the women and children to watch the body go up in flames. They also humiliated women by forcing them to clap as the body turned into ashes. In 1987, former Runyenjes legislator Stanley Nyagah organised his people and built a modern boarding primary school in Kubu Kubu's memory where his body was set ablaze. A street and a shopping centre in Embu Town has also been named after him. Kirimiri forest is still there, and a vibrant market centre called Mukuuri has developed near its base. The forest is a popular rendezvous for revellers and also as a retreat centre.