Mary Muthoni Nyanjiru

Background Nyanjirū was an associate and supporter of Harry Thuku. Thuku, secretary and Young Kikuyu Association (later known as the East African Association)

Harry Thuku protests Thuku was arrested on 14 March 1922, over concern for his increasing militancy and the growing number of his supporters.

Mary Mūthoni Nyanjirū leapt to her feet, ran to the front of the crowd, lifted her dress over her head, and cried: "You take my dress and give me your trousers. You men are cowards. What are you waiting for? Our leader is in there. Let's get him." was considered a serious insult among the Kikuyu, who view it as a curse to see a woman the age of one's mother naked; rarely used, it indicates that the authority of men is no longer recognized in the situation, and is considered a powerful symbol of women's defiance. As Nyanjirū's actions unfolded, many of the women present ululated their approval in response, and the crowd surged forward until the police or askaris opened fire. Nyanjirū was among the first people killed. There has been no evidence that the askaris were ordered to fire by the officers in charge, though there are accounts stating that the askaris were on duty for eighteen continuous hours in the heat while being subjected to harassment by the crowd. The official number of casualties were given as twenty-one Africans killed, four of whom were women and an additional twenty-eight injured. Thuku's own account of the day, having seen events unfold from his cell, relates that as the police fired from the front, other European settlers who had gathered at the Norfolk Hotel began shooting into the crowd from behind.

Little is known about the other women that were involved, even killed, in the Harry Thuku disturbance, and Nyanjirū is the only woman for whom there is any background information. She is the sole woman named in the protest. Men connected to the protest do have their names recorded in respect to this incident, while women are largely anonymous.

Nyanjirū is memorialized again in the poem "Mother Afrika's Matriots", where the verse pertaining to Nyanjirū reads: "Mary Mūthoni Nyanjirū who reignited a retreating volcano of workers". Additionally, Nyanjirū's story was featured in an experimental theater production about Kenyan heroes and heroines titled Too Early for Birds.