By Nyang’au Araka
That morning in February 1908, freedom fighter Otenyo Nyamaterere faced British rifles armed only with a spear, unshaken courage, and a burning will to defend his people.
The young Gusii warrior had watched colonial forces seize livestock from his community—an act that struck at the very heart of Abagusii life.
When others retreated, Otenyo stepped forward, confronting the British officers face to face, wounding colonial administrator Geoffrey Northcote and igniting one of the fiercest acts of resistance the region had ever witnessed.
That moment of defiance cost him his life, but secured his place in Gusii history.
Otenyo was captured, tortured, and humiliated before being beheaded in broad daylight—an incident retold across Gusii generations.
This is why a fierce chorus of heritage and protest erupted in Kisii on Sunday, as men and women, some clad in traditional attire, raised shields and voices.
Amid spears and slogans, they cried for justice for Otenyo and other forefathers who paid the ultimate price in Kenya’s fight against colonialism.
The elders honoured Otenyo and renewed demands for the return of his severed head from Britain, where it was taken after his execution in 1908.
Marching through Kisii town before convening at the Kisii Culture Hall, the elders declared that Otenyo’s spirit cannot rest until he is laid to rest on his ancestral land.
“Today is a special day in our Gusii history,” said former Kisii University Vice-Chancellor Prof John Akama.
“We are celebrating a warrior who confronted British soldiers when they came to seize our livestock.”
Prof Akama, a widely published scholar, noted that Otenyo led Gusii fighters armed only with spears against heavily armed colonial troops.
“Despite the imbalance of power, he rallied his people and forced the return of more than 1,000 head of cattle taken by the colonial administration,” Prof Akama said.
After his capture, Otenyo was publicly tried and executed by firing squad at the current Gusii Stadium.
His head was severed and shipped to London as proof of his death, while his body was displayed on a public bridge as a warning to others who might resist colonial rule.
“He sacrificed himself so our people could live with dignity,” Prof Akama said.
“They took his head, spear, and shield to the UK. We want them back, and we want him recognised as a hero.”
Mwanyagetinge Heritage Council chairman George Nyakundi said 1 February remains a painful but sacred date for the Abagusii.
“In 1908, a youthful Otenyo presented himself as a sacrifice,” he said.
“They beheaded him to discipline us for daring to resist.”
Mr Nyakundi recounted brutal reprisals, with massacres across the Gusii region to crush the rebellion. Yet Otenyo’s story endured, passed down through generations as a symbol of courage and sacrifice.
Although not formally recognised as a hero, many male children across Gusii were named after Otenyo.
“The spirit of Otenyo is restless,” Nyakundi said, adding that his head must come home, and only then will justice be done for the Gusii forefathers.
This is not the first time such calls have been made.
In 2013, Samson Nyagaka Matoke, a Member of the Kisii County Assembly, petitioned Kenya’s government to demand the return of Otenyo’s head from Britain.
He cited colonial atrocities between 1905–1908, including mass killings, cattle confiscations, and destruction, arguing the head holds immense cultural value for the Gusii people.
The petition sought an apology, compensation, and a dignified burial.
