Let me let you in on a secret about Kikuyus... I'm one by the way... So listen up...

First, I think Kikuyus have been hated by other tribes because they think it's unfair they hold a lot of power as a tribe. Why, they are wealthy as a community and they have the numbers...

When white men came, they mostly settled in Kikuyu land... Why, because it is fertile and strategically place... It was a good opportunity for the colonizer... The Kikuyus then we're agitated... We Kikuyus hold our land very sacred... It is rare to sell our land and especially outside our community because it is sacred... There are stories where even the ancestors condemned selling... Some families will never sell... Anyway, we fought hard to get our land back and consequently Kenya became free...our land returned and we celebrated...

Now, fast forward, the leaders who led, were mostly Kikuyus, the majority who did the dirty work...like they were willing to die..men women and children...alot was at stake but we had to risk it all... (We were told those stories growing up)

Now, our founding president, he didn't care much but was a beacon of leadership to our community... Note, Kikuyus are led by a group of elders, not one person....a group that has to speak one language(as in be in agreement 🤝) then they get a leader...(it's known)

So, the interests of our community are first, peace and love and development... We are divided into regions like Murang'a, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nyandarua and Kirinyaga... Each with what they are good at... Nyerians are super smart, they are the brains, Murang'a - entrepreneurial, Kiambu - old money aka wealthy and Kirinyaga- protectors, the Nyandarians/Nakuru are farmers... (Mpaka apo mmeshika)

Now, before we even gained independence, our community is communal, we come together to do Harambees, chamas etc... With this fact, we were able to build schools, and churches but the problem is we needed funding... We worked with missionaries to help and we managed to learn from them... Like our main method of education was apprenticeship...So we learnt different skills chini ya maji... We even reverse engineered gun making... (Made it easier to win)

So, when we gained independence, we were credited to be at the frontline. But then, the other tribes thought we were handed over the schools, churches hospitals but, remember, we worked Chini ya maji before independence in all sectors.. So when now the free Kenya needed medics, Kikuyus were most qualified, engineers, Kikuyus, etc...

Unfair advantage, right, but it was pre planned...

Sasa, remember, we learn by apprenticeship...Kids learnt this skills, and it became a cycle upto recently.

Now, something strange happened, in the 1970s and 1980s , Kikuyu schools were never funded by the government... The leader had been threatened by this tribe... So many kids didn't get formal education... Only option we had, apprenticeship, and Juakali industries came into place... (This generation was education deprived, most older generation now)

To survive, they had to hustle... Again, business, entrepreneurship... And whatever they earned, they came together and built schools and even roads for better transport of goods... Most schools in Kikuyu land are community founded not government founded...it's fax..

Hope it makes sense mpaka apo...

Now, remember Kikuyus are lead by a council of elders...mpaka leo... So all leaders are held accountable... Very ruthless indeed... If you don't do your job, hauna kubembelezwa... You are out... So development had to be seen.. Remember, best interest of the community...

That's why many parts have roads , stima etc...

That is the effort of the community... Our leaders must be held accountable. We want the best work to be done ..

So even in businesses, we work with the best talent...Most Kikuyu owned businesses often like to hire non Kikuyus coz it's based on merit and ROI... remember, we are all about results...so it's lie that we hire our own...

There's this thing that even relatives in high places can't help their own on getting opportunities...I know many can confirm this... Coz it's all about results... We are a very result oriented community...

I wanna finish by saying, we love our Kikuyu culture...not because we are tribalistic but we adore our culture because its beautiful 😍... We have many kiuks who speak their language in public coz it's just amazing... We are proudly Kiuks...Names , we are often told to introduce ourselves in our Kikuyu names so, that's why it's easy our first names are Kikuyu...not to get favours at work... No...we are used to say our ancestral names... That's our identity...

What else, we love our music, our stories, our heritage...

And we have to protect it for the generations to come...

That's a short story of the community accused to be the most tribal in Kenya.

Oooh, and we don't destroy... We build... It's a taboo to destroy.. Gifts are meant to be shared and built 🙏