Great moments in history are captured in iconic photos. The good thing about a photo is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.
The late 80’s and early 90’s were a tumultuous times. Winds of change were sweeping across the world. Tin pot dictators who had clung to power for decades were tumbling like a house of cards. Youthful revolutions were flowering across Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall came tumbling. And here in Kenya, the people, weary of silence and repression, poured into the streets-demanding for expanded democratic space.
At the centre of all this was the famous Saba Saba Rally of 7th July 1990.The progressive forces of the day had planned to meet at Kamukunji grounds.As expected, the government of the day responded with brutal force. But somehow, they made it to the city. And when they did, they stood atop a humble Toyota Stout pickup, flashing the V-sign for victory.
The following day, newspapers carried front page photos of James Orengo,Martin Shikuku and others atop the pick-up. And with it, a moment was frozen in time and the image became the poster of Kenya’s second liberation.
What many forget is the man behind that iconic pickup.
Hezekiah Gachu Kigondu, a quiet businessman from Weithaga in Murang’a, was not the type to seek the limelight. He ran his shops on River Road with quiet dignity, far from the political firestorms of the time. But when history knocked, he answered. It was his Toyota Stout that carried the architects of change through a city bristling with danger. He didn’t shout or pose, but just offered what he had, and made it count.
Later, Hezekiah would continue giving quietly. He helped young men from his home find work and purpose in Nairobi. He contributed generously to the restoration of Emmanuel ACK Church in Weithaga, one of the region’s oldest churches in the region.
Hezekiah Gachu Kigondu passed away in December 2022. But like that unforgettable photo, his contribution to the second liberation remains etched in our memory, steady and unchanging.