Ordinary heroine who caught state’s eye

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Mrs Rose Kabuthu. Photo/COURTESY  

By WAIGWA KIBOI wakiboi@yahoo.com
Posted  Saturday, March 17  2012 at  22:30

IN SUMMARY

• The government often publicly recognises those in the limelight but, at last year’s Mashujaa Day, a small-scale commercial farmer and retired teacher from Nyeri was honoured for her exemplary public service

After retiring from a teaching career spanning decades, Rose Muthoni Kabuthu, 70, retreated to her farm in Gitero village, Nyeri County. In the serenity of the lush countryside, her days are rarely interrupted except by the occasional neighbour who stops by to say hello.

The few calls she receives on her mobile phone are usually from her three daughters, close relatives and friends catching up with her.

But on October 17 last year, as she was tending to the crops she grows commercially on her eight-acre farm, she received an unusual call. Area assistant chief Paul Ng’anatha wanted her to report to the District Officer 1 in Nyeri the following day.

Been summoned

The assistant chief would not tell her why the administrator in Nyeri wanted to meet her. She had never been summoned by an administrator, and it was with some trepidation that she travelled to Nyeri town as directed.

“The D01 received me warmly and assured me that there was nothing to worry about. She told me she would take me to the DC who would tell me why I was needed. To my pleasant surprise, the DC congratulated me and informed me that the government had recognised me as a shujaa,” Mrs Kabuthu said.

More good news lay in store. She had been invited to attend the October 20 Mashujaa Day celebrations in Nairobi and mingle with the other heroes and heroines the government was honouring. Mrs Kabuthu was one of two people from Nyeri County being recognised for exemplary public service.

“The DC informed me that I had to travel to Nairobi the following day, the 19th, so that I would be in time to attend the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium. He also told me that my accommodation would be taken care of by the government. I was driven home to prepare for the big event,” Mrs Kabuthu recounted from her home.

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She had never expected such an honour. Since independence, State honours and recognition have largely been the preserve of prominent Kenyans, most of them politicians.

“It is great that the government has now started appreciating people who have played various roles in nation-building away from the limelight,” she said.

On getting home, Mrs Kabuthu first called her three daughters, Watetu, a high school teacher, Wangui, an agricultural officer, and Wambu, who works with an international organisation, and shared the exciting news.

The following day, she travelled to Nairobi and was put up in a five-star hotel.

On Mashujaa Day, Mrs Kabuthu found herself wearing a sash with the word “Shujaa” on it and marching past the podium where dignitaries, among them President Kibaki, were seated.

When she and the other mashujaa started their march, their names were called out amid wild cheering from the crowd. The icing in the cake was when the group was hosted for lunch at State House by President Kibaki.

“I got the opportunity to shake hands with the President and pose for photographs with him. It was something I had never dreamt of. When I left for home, I was happy that we have a government that appreciates the modest contribution of Kenyans from all walks of life.”

Mrs Kabuthu was honoured for her contribution to education in central Kenya. She was also recognised for her efforts in small-scale commercial farming.

Few women

Mrs Kabuthu is among a group of a few women who, in the 1950s, defied cultural biases that denied girls the opportunity to go to school and excel.

Even as the Mau Mau war for independence raged around her, she attended Huho-ini Primary School between 1951 and 1954. In 1956, she joined Tetu Intermediate School and in 1960 she joined Mugoiri Girls’ High School.

She started her career as a P2 teacher in 1964 and at the same time embarked on private study, which saw her join Kenyatta College in 1970. She later taught English and literature in various secondary schools.

Among the prominent students she taught in high school are Narc-Kenya leader and Gichugu MP Martha Karua and Dr Florence Wambugu, a prominent researcher and scientist who is the director of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International.

Mrs Kabuthu rose through the ranks in the education sector, finally retiring in 1996 after holding a district education officer’s position for 10 years. Her late husband, Mr Daniel Mbogo, was also a teacher who excelled in his career and retired as an Under Secretary.

Since he passed on in 2001, Mrs Kabuthu has concentrated on farming and her efforts stand out in the area.

She grows yam, cassava, different varieties of bananas, arrow roots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, maize, beans, groundnuts, avocados, macadamia nuts, apples, watermelon, passion fruit, tree tomatoes and a variety of vegetables. She also breeds fish.