No nĩ thutha wa mahinda maingĩ mũno, na wĩra wa hinya mũno, wa
mĩaka magana maingĩ.
O ũguo mũndũ ambagĩrĩria kũũria gitũmi kĩa indo iria igũkũ thĩ
akĩandĩkaga noguo ekaga ha ũhoro wa indo icio irĩ igũrũ rĩake, Riũa,
Mweri, na Njata.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ, gĩthomo nĩ ũmenyo mũthuranĩre mũno, na mũtarĩrie
mũno o makĩria, wa indo icio ciothe ithĩ, naicio igũrũ, nakuo gũthuranĩra
kũu ti wĩra wa mwaka ũmwe, nĩ wĩra wa mĩaka ngiri nyingĩ.
Ũmenyo ũcio ũteithagia andũ makagĩa na gĩkeno, makagĩa hinya:
guoya ũgathira. Na hinya wa mũndũ na ciĩko ciothe ũkongerereka
maita maingĩ mũno, mĩgiro igathira, maũndũ marĩa magegagia andũ
makaheanwo ũhoro wamo wothe, kinya ũkona atĩ hatiri kĩama kĩho.
Na atĩ maũndũ maingĩ mekĩkaga na njĩra kana watho ũĩyo, kana
ũngĩmenyeka, no ti kiama, kwoguo indo iria ciothe tuonaga, na iria
tũiguaga, na iria irĩ igũrũ ritũ, igatwirio ikamenywo ũrĩa ciũmbĩtwo,
na ũrĩa ithiaga. Ona andũ nao makamenywo ũrĩa mombĩtwo na ũrĩa
meciragia.
Na tondũ ũcio gĩthomo kigeraga njĩra igĩrĩ, ĩmwe ya kwĩruta indo
iria nene na ikũraya ta njata na riũa na mweri, na ũrĩa ithiaga, na
ihenya rĩacio ũrĩa rĩigana, na ũrĩa ciũmbĩtwo na ũrĩa kũrĩ thĩ ingĩ tiga
ĩno itũ.
Ona kinya gũkoneka atĩ thĩ ino iitũ ni njata ikahora mwaki wayo,
na atĩ nĩ githiũrũrĩ kĩhana ta icungwa na nĩ ithiũrũkaga rĩũa) naguo
mweri ũgathiũrũrũka thĩ ino itũ.
Gũikaraga gũgĩkĩragia kuoneka njata ingĩ makiria ya iria cionirũo
tene na irĩ na ihenya inene mũno, mũno.
Njata icio ona kana thĩ icio ĩngĩ, nyingĩ cia cio itingioneka na maitho
matheri, cionaguo na ndurumeni ihinya mũno wa kuona maita ngiri
nyĩngi ma woni wa maitho ma mũndũ.
Ĩo nĩ njĩra ĩmwe ya githomo. Ĩrĩa ĩngi nĩ ya kwambirĩrĩa harĩ indo iria
tũgwetire igũkũ thi, mahiga, tĩri, mĩtĩ, nyamũ, na andũ, maĩ, rũhuho,
kayũ, na ndogo. Na indo ĩria ĩngĩ tũtanagweta.
what should we do, our people?
185
are the things on earth? How are they created? Such things as the soil,
stones, trees, animals, people, and others like the wind and voices.
When someone starts asking himself these questions, he realises that
mere questioning is futile. He picks up a pen and starts writing down
his estimate of the nature of these things. Not that he understands their
reasons at his fi rst or even second attempt. It is aft er hundreds of years
of painstaking work that he succeeds.
In the same way that someone writes in order to ask the cause of
things on earth, so he can also write about things in the sky, the sun,
moon and the stars.
Education, therefore, is carefully chosen and extensively clarifi ed
knowledge87 of all the things on earth and in the sky. Such sorting out88
is not the work of one year but of thousands of years.
Th
is knowledge helps people to get happiness and strength, and
eliminates fear. By it human strength is increased tenfold, taboos are
eliminated, and everything that puzzles people is explained until you
fi nally learn that there is no mystery89 in them.
Many things happen according to laws, not by miracles. Th
ose things
we see and of which we hear are all examined, and their nature and
movements are clearly explained. Th
e nature90 of human beings and
how they think is also understood.
To that end, education follows two paths: the fi rst is to learn about
large and far-off bodies like the stars, sun and moon, how they move,
how fast they move, their nature, and about planets other than our
own.
It is known that our planet earth is a star whose heat has diminished,
that it is round like an orange and moves round the sun, and that the
moon moves round our planet.
Oft en, new stars other than those we have already seen are found.
Th
ese are not visible to the naked eye, but [can be seen] with power-
ful telescopes that can magnify very many times the visual abilities of
the human eye.
Th
is is one of education’s paths. Th
e other one is to start on what we
said are found on earth; stones, soil, trees, animals, people, water, wind,
voice, smoke and other things which we have not mentioned.
186
chapter four
Athomi makoria atĩrĩrĩ, ciũmbitwo atĩa? Na tondũ wa kwenda gicokia
kĩũria kiu, thutha wa miaka mĩingĩ mũno, rĩu nĩkũĩo atĩ ihumo cia indo
icio ciothe nĩ mĩrongo kenda na igirĩ. Na atĩ ihumo icĩo cĩeturanira
igatwika kĩndũ kĩna.
Tondũ ta maĩ meragũo mombĩtwo na na ihumo igĩrĩ, kana ĩgĩtarũo
nĩ atarĩ, makoiga atĩ, kĩhumo kimwe gĩgwitwo ‘oxygen’ kia nyitana na
himo ĩgĩrĩ cia ‘hydrogen’ igatuĩka maĩ marĩa tũnyuaga.
Nĩ kuonekaga atĩ ĩndo icio nyinyi mũno maita maingĩ, na indo icio
nene mũno maita ngiri nyingĩ mĩthiĩre kana mĩthiũrũrũkire ya cio nĩ
ĩhanaine.
Nĩngi gĩthomo-rĩ, kihuana ta mũtĩ mũnene mũno wĩna honge nyingĩ
mũno, na hatirĩ mũndũ wi muoyo ũngĩmenya honge ĩcio ciothe. Ũria
athomi mekaga nĩ kũnyita rũhonge rũmwe kana ĩgĩrĩ, akeruta ona cio
ndaninaga. Kwoguo ndukae gwĩciria he mũndu ũnginina gĩthomo
gĩothe toria andũ aingĩ meciragia.
No rĩrĩ, hatirĩ ũndũ ũrĩ hinya andũ mangionio njĩra, thĩna witu nĩ
kwaga njĩra. Harĩ ihĩtia rimwe rĩnene mũno rĩonekaga harĩ andũ acĩo
athomi mũno, narĩo nĩ rĩa kuga atĩ gũtirĩ Ngaĩ, na tondũ ũcio nĩkĩo
ũgĩ ũcio wothe ũtahotaga kũmaguna.
Ithenya ria bũrũrĩ ũiyũre thayũ na gĩkeno, nĩ ruo na thĩna na
kĩnyamarĩko kĩnene kuonekaga, tondũ wa ũria tuonire atĩ ũgĩ wa mũtwe
wikĩ ndũngiguna mũndũ tondũ ndũri gitina kana iniri, na gitina kĩa
ũgi wothe nĩ Ngai.
Tondũ-rĩ, gĩthomo kana ‘education’ ĩtitariĩ ta itonga ũrĩa ũkiragĩa
kuongerereka harĩ mũndũ, ũguo nĩ kuga atiriri, indo ikoima na nja ya
mũndũ na mĩena yothe igĩtuĩkaga ciake. Ona kana gĩkahana maĩ marĩa
maitagĩrĩrũo ndigithũ.
Ĩndĩ gĩthomo kĩhana ta mũrĩmi wa mũgũnda, ũrĩa ũrĩmagĩra irio
ciake agĩitaga thumu, kĩndũ kĩrĩa gikoragwo kĩna bata na mũrĩmi wa
mũgũnda, nĩ irio icio ahandite agakĩmenya atĩ aga kũnoria tĩri, irio ciake
itiagira. Tondũ niho gĩtina kĩa itio icio ciake ona mĩri yacio ĩrĩ.
Naguo ũguo nĩ kuga atĩ gĩthomo nĩkũrĩmĩra kĩrĩmagĩra ngoro
ya mũndũ ĩria ĩrĩ thĩinĩ wake, ĩgakũra na ĩkagĩa na hinya tondũ wa
mahuti marĩa moru marĩkia kweherio. Ria kana mahuti ma ngoro nĩ
maũndũ marĩa moru ta rũmena, na ũiru ũici, na waganu wa mĩthemba
o yothe, o ũndũ ũmwe na maheni na haramu (kũrĩama). Rĩu maũndũ
marĩa mega, magathererio makahota gũkũra wega kuma ngoro, namo
maũndũ macio nĩ wendani, kwaria ma, ũtheru na wendo wa maũndũ
mothe ma ũgima, na mega.
what should we do, our people?
/> 187
Scholars ask themselves, how are they made? In trying to answer
this question over many years, they have learned that all things are
composed of ninety-two elements. When these elements combine, they
form something.
For instance, water is said to be composed of two elements,91 one
of these is ‘oxygen’ which combines with two ‘hydrogens’ to form the
water we drink.92 It has also been shown that both very small and very
big things have similar cycles of movement.
Education is also like a big tree with very many branches. No living
person can be expert in all its branches. What scholars do is to take
one or two branches to specialise in, but they can never exhaust them.
Never think, as many people do, that any one person can exhaust all
knowledge.
Nothing is so diffi
cult that people cannot be shown the path. Losing
the path is our problem. One problem scholars have is to say there is
no God. Th
at is why all their education can never benefi t them.
Rather than peace and happiness pervading the entire country, misery
and suff ering is experienced. As we saw, mental knowledge alone has
no base or roots. Th
e basis of all knowledge is God.
Th
is is because education does not increase like wealth. Wealth comes
from outside an individual, like water poured into a pot.
Instead, education is like a farmer who grows his food with manure.93
A farmer knows that if he does not make his soil fertile, his crops will
not be healthy. Th
is is because manure is the basis of his crops and
their roots.
Education cultivates the human heart, because the bad weeds have
been removed. Th
e weeds of the heart are bad things like hatred, jeal-
ousy, theft , and all forms of misdemeanour like lies and corruption.
Good things are cultivated from the heart. Th
ey include love, truthful-
ness, cleanliness and love for mature and good things.
188
chapter four
Na tondũ ũcio-rĩ, angĩkorũo ngoro ya mũndũ ndĩrĩ na maũndũ
macio mega-rĩ, kĩndũ kĩrĩa kĩngĩkũra ngoro-inĩ, yake no mahuti mau
tuona, na nĩmo rũmena, ũiru, ũici, na waganu, haramu, na mathara.
Na gĩthomo kirĩa angĩthoma no gĩa gwĩkĩra maũndũ macio hinya.
Ahote gũthũrana na hinya mũno, ahote kũigua ũiru mũingĩ, ahote
kũiya mũno, ahote kwagana mũno, ahote kũhenania mũno, ona ahote
kũrĩa haramu nyingĩ mũno.
Tondũ kĩrĩa kĩhande mũgũnda nĩkĩo kĩgethagwo; Ndũngĩhanda
mbembe weterere kũgetha mboco.
Ningĩ gĩthomo (education) kĩhana ũtheri wa kũmũrĩka nduma-inĩ
naguo. Ũtheri nĩ gũtũma ũtamaga mũndũ one kĩndũ kĩrĩa egũcaria, no
tikuongerera wongagĩrĩra indo icio.
Tondũ rĩrĩ, ũngĩmũrikà nduma-inĩ, wone indo ithatũ, ihiga, na mũtĩ,
na nyamũ, ndũngĩcoka ũtare indo icio uge: ihiga, na mũtĩ na nyamũ,
na ũtheri. Tondũ utheri nĩ wagũtũma wone indo ingĩ, no tikuongerera
wongagĩrĩra indo icio.
Nakĩo gĩthomo nĩ ũtheri wa kũmũrĩka maũndũ macio mũru naguo.
Ũngĩmũrĩka handũ na wone kĩndũ kĩũru, na ũkorũo nĩ ũkwenda gũikara
hau; No kweheria ũngĩeheria kĩndũ kĩu kĩũru. No ũngĩaga kweheria
ũikaranie nakĩo ndũngĩtuĩka mũgĩ, ũguo noguo tũngiuga harĩ maũndũ
macio mothe twarĩtie.
No rĩrĩ, bata witũ ithuĩ andũ airũ ũrĩa twagĩrĩirũo nĩ kũnina mbere
tũgĩcoka kwĩruta maũndũ mangĩ, me mbere nĩ ũrĩa thĩna ũngĩtũthira,
na ũrimũ, na ũrĩa tũngĩaga gũcoka gũkua tũtarĩ akũrũ tondũ wa kwaga
hinya mĩrĩ, na ũrĩa tũngĩikara bũrũri-inĩ twina ũrata na ndũrĩrĩ iria ingĩ.
Na ũrĩa tũngĩgĩa hinya mĩrĩ-ini itũ nĩgetha tũgĩe na meciria mega,
tondũ ndũngihota kũgia na meciria mega angikorũo ndũrĩ mũgima
mwĩrĩ-inĩ.
Tondũ ũcio-rĩ, tũgĩe na atũcirĩri, na ma Wakiri maitũ, na Mandagĩtari
maitũ, andũ ogĩ, na Aaki aitũ, na andũ ogĩ na mawĩra mothe, marĩa
matũkoniĩ. Ta kwendia na kũgũra indo, kũrima ona kũrĩithia.
Maũndũ nĩ maingĩ mũno, marĩa mangĩtũbataria tũngĩrĩkia kũhĩga,
na tondũ wa ũrimũ witũ, matukũ maya, nĩkĩo tũtirĩ na bata na maũndũ
maingĩ, na andũ aingĩ matariĩ ta metoro, na ũguo nĩguo kwĩagĩra bata.
25. Mĩthemba ya andũ arĩa mekuo rĩu
Th
ĩna wa andũ aingĩ matukũ maya nĩ atĩ mekwenda ũndũ moigaga
hatirĩ ũndũ ũngĩ mwega ta ũcio mendete. Na nĩkĩo wahota kũigua
andũ aingĩ makiuga atiriri.
what should we do, our people?
189
Th
erefore, if someone’s heart has none of these good things, what
grows in his heart are bad weeds like hatred, jealousy, theft , evil, con-
tempt and self-promotion.94 Th
e education he learns goes to strengthen
them, so that he is able to hate more, be more jealous, steal more, be
worse behaved, peddle more lies, and practise more corruption.
You harvest what you sow. You cannot sow maize and hope to
harvest beans.95
Education is also like a beam of light to illuminate the darkness.
Light helps one fi nd what one was looking for, but it does not multiply
one’s possessions.
If you illuminate the darkness and fi nd three items, a stone, a tree
and an animal, you cannot then count them and fi nd a stone, a tree,
an animal and a beam of light. Th
e light has enabled you to fi nd the
things. It does not multiply them.
Education is the light with which to illuminate bad things. If you
illuminate a place and fi nd something bad, would you want it to stay
there? You would just remove it. If you won’t remove it, you would
not be intelligent. Th
is is what we can say about the things we have
referred to.
Before learning anything else, the great need for we black people is
to know how to end poverty and ignorance, how to reduce premature
death because of poor health, and how to live peacefully in this country
with other communities.
How to have good physical health and so have good thoughts, for
you cannot have good thoughts without good health.
Th
en we should have our own judges, lawyers, doctors, scholars,
builders and other people knowledgeable in all fi elds, like buying and
selling, farming and herding.
Many things will be needed once we are knowledgeable, but because
of to-day’s foolishness, we are not interested in them. Most people seem
to be asleep and are irresponsible.96
25. Types of people living today
Th
e greatest problem with people these days is that they like to say
there is nothing so important as what they themselves want.
190
chapter four
Gĩthomo, Kũina, Gũthaka, kana maũndũ mangi maingĩ matiri bata,
ona angĩ maga [???] macio nĩ mehia. Tondũ ũcio tũkagia na andũ a
mĩthemba itatũ.
Mũthemba ũmwe ũkoĩga ũndũ ũrĩa wĩ bata o makĩr�
�a nĩ gwĩtikia
na kuhoya. Na maũndũ maya mangĩ mothe ta gĩthomo ũtonga na
gũikarania na andũ arĩa matarĩ etĩkia nĩ mehia. Tondũ atĩ gĩthomo nĩ
ũgĩ wa gũkũ thĩ, na nĩ mehia. Naguo ũtonga atĩ nĩ indo cia gũkũ thĩ na
nĩ mehia. Nakuo gũthaka atĩ nĩ mwago wa gũkũ thĩ, na nĩ mehia. Na
tondũ ũcio ũndũ ũria ũkĩrĩ bata no gũikara thĩ, na gwĩthikĩra, na kũhoya,
na kũrĩra tondũ wa mehia marĩa mũndũ a neka. Tondũ ũcio mũndũ
akambĩrĩria kũgarũrũka gĩthithĩ, akahana ta mũndũ mũkuĩre. Onawe
wa muona ũkamwĩtigĩra tondũ wa ũrĩa athũkĩte. Naguo mũthemba wa
kerĩ nĩ ũcio wa kuga atĩ kĩndũ kĩrĩa kĩrĩ bata no gũtonga, tondũ ũcĩo
ũndũ o wothe wa kũrehe mbeca ũkerũo nĩ mwega, na ũndũ o wothe
ũtarĩ wa kũrehe mbeca ũkerũo nĩ mũrũ, na ndũrĩ bata.
Ningĩ andũ aingĩ tondũ wa kũgucio mũno nĩ rĩciria rĩu rĩa kwenda
mbeca, makariganĩrũo nĩ andũ arĩa angĩ othe arata, na matarĩ arata,
magatwĩka atĩ angĩkorũo, ndarĩ ũndũ angĩhenia mũndũ naguo,
nĩguo amũrũkie kĩndũ, mũndũ ũcio ndarĩ bata tondũ ndarĩ kĩndũ
angioyũo.
Na nĩkĩo matũkũ maya kwĩna andũ aingĩ a maheni, na matangĩhokeka.
Tondũ ningĩ [???] wira muna na umwe wao aneo aige, no [???] acio angi.
Nakĩo gĩkundĩ gĩa gatatũ nĩ kĩrĩa gitarĩ harĩa kĩrĩ, na nĩkĩo kĩingĩ
matukũ maya. Gĩtiri harĩ wĩtikio. Nĩngĩ gitirĩ harĩ gũcaria indo. Wira
wao nĩ mbũrũrũ ya gũthiĩ o handũ harĩa mũndũ enda, na gwĩka o ũrĩa
mũndũ enda, ũguo nĩ kuga atĩ andũ acio magucagio no maũndũ ma
rĩu kana ũmũthĩ, ũndũ o wothe ũkonii rũciũ ndũrĩ bata, mwago wa
mĩthemba yothe nĩ mwega kũrĩo.
Na tondũ ũcio-rĩ, gĩkundi kĩu nĩkĩo kĩrũmĩtie nyĩmbo, cia ndaci,
na gwĩka maũndũ maingĩ ma waganu. Nao andũ acio a ikundi icio
ingĩ mona ũguo makoiga atĩ, kũina ndaci nĩ waganu, tondũ andũ arĩa
mainaga ndaci nĩ andũ arĩa aganu.
Ikundi icio igĩrĩ cia mbere itirĩ na ihĩtia kuga ũguo, tondũ nĩma kwĩna
waganu mũingĩ makĩria na no kuongerereka ũrakĩrĩa kuongerereka.
Na tondũ wa maũndũ macio-rĩ, nĩkĩo mwandĩki egũikio nĩ kĩeha,
akoria kana hihi ibuku rĩrĩ nĩ rĩkarĩĩka, nĩ getha hihi rĩteithie andũ
amwe, arĩa megũkorũo matarĩ athũku mũno, kana arĩa mekwambĩrĩria
gũthũka, tondũ nĩ hinya kũhonio mũrimũ ũrĩkĩtie gũikara matukũ
Writing for Kenya Page 28
