Mekatilili wa Menza

A Giriama prophetess who led coastal Kenya's resistance against British colonialism

Mekatilili wa Menza (c.1840-1923) was a visionary leader of the Giriama people in Kenya's coastal region. During the British East Africa Protectorate era (1895-1920), she became the spiritual and political leader of the anticolonial Waiyaki rebellion. Her prophetic visions and oratory skills united diverse communities against British land seizures and oppressive taxation.

Between 1895-1910, Mekatilili organized massive night-time assemblies called 'nyumba' where she delivered fiery speeches from her trademark gourd drum. Her famous 1905 rally at Mwange Hill mobilized 10,000 warriors in what became known as the Giriama Uprising. Though captured by British forces in 1906, her imprisonment only strengthened her mythic status among her people.

Her resistance tactics included disrupting British supply lines and sabotaging the construction of the Uganda Railway. Though ultimately defeated, her struggle inspired later Kenyan independence movements. Modern scholars study her legacy through the Kenya Literature Bureau archives and the British Museum's colonial records.

Her story is preserved in oral traditions and documented in A History of Giriama Oratory (2018). The Mekatilili wa Menza Memorial in Kilifi County stands as a testament to her enduring influence. Her name remains synonymous with resistance against colonial exploitation in East Africa.