Life and Times of Mzee Charles Kamau Wanguhu

Category: Headlines

Written by MyKenyanLink

Published Date

Celebration of Life

UPDATES:- Please note change of funeral service venue

Date: Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018

Viewing: Umash Funeral Home starting at 8am

Funeral service: Kunste Hotel event ground Nakuru at 10am

Burial: A.I.C David Wanguhu Memorial Church, Mwariki in Nakuru.

The Life History of

Mr Charles Kamau Wanguhu

Early History

Born on 17^th Dec 1916 at AIM Kijabe Where his parents were the first to express faith in Christ and perform the first Christian wedding in Kijabe Mission.

Started School in 1923 at Kijabe though the family later moved to Rift Valley Molo Area for one year before returning to Matasia (Kiambu).

His father died in 1924 leaving his wife the burden of educating and fending for the family.

Faith

He was baptised in 1934 following a deep experience of faith in Christ, which he was not afraid to proclaim in public.

He joined a youth outreach that went around the villages around Kijabe –flyover – Mai Mahiu preaching the gospel.

He was taken into the care of Mrs. Moody as a cook and during his spare time (afternoons) learned masonry. Unfortunately after the first exam he did not have enough money to continue with his masonry course.

Mrs. Moody advised him to join teaching and upon completion in 1936 he was posted to Kwa Ndebe. God blessed his work and the rose form having only 75 pupils (including only 3 girls to having over 200 pupils (girls rose to about 17).

He was then posted to Murang’a (Njiri’s, Kinyona) in 1937 where after working for eight months a dispute arose about his wages which were higher then the ordinary scale due to his good work. He opted to resign rather than have his pay cut.

Between 1937-1943 he went back to construction working in farms.

In 1943 they formed the David & Brothers Construction Company to take care of government contracts. He was in charge of building.

It was then that the AIC Ziwani building contract arose, he tendered for it but the colonial administration thought that he was not capable to undertake such a huge contract. Upon further consultation with his elder brother David they allowed him to undertake the construction. He only received 10% of what he was supposed to be paid for that contract the rest he forfeited for the work of building that Church. The result was magnificent and all were amazed.

In 1955 he went back to Kijabe and found the work of building the Church started in 1934 had stalled. The project had only Kshs.15, 000 in the bank. He requested to be allowed to restart construction offering to supervise the work free of Charge. Due to the success at Ziwani no one objected and so he went on with the task.

In 1957 he was commissioned as a Church Elder, he resolved then that he would devote his energy to serving God through construction of Churches and preaching the gospel.

It was after this that he built other Churches such as Eldama Ravine, Kapsabet, Nyahururu and The Butere Anglican Church.

He also participated in Church planting the most notable of this being the Nakuru Church which after meeting together with others in I brahim Ngamau’s House under the state of emergency laws he requested the D.C to give a permit for them to meet without fear, the result was a permit to start a Church and AIC Nakuru was born.

Mzee Wanguhu MKL

He also joined hands with Daniel Chege in 1974 when he relocated to Mombasa to start the AIC Kongowea where Pwani Bible College is now based. He also participated in the building and by the 1978 when he left Mombasa the construction of the Church was almost complete.

He was also among the two people who contributed heavily towards the building of AIC Churo. He gave materials for the entire roof of the Church.

In the year 1995 God laid in his heart to move out of AIC Bondeni where he was an elder to go and start AIC Mwariki in Honour of his late brother David Wanguhu. It is this Church that he has wrestled with building it physically with the help of only one mason. All the plans of this magnificent Church are his original designs. The Church has upto date used close to 4 million Ksh.

Leadership

Since his commissioning as an Elder has been involved in Church Leadership from grass roots to the national level. In fact there are many councils, which met in his home in the old days.

Apart from Church leadership he was concerned with security during the MAUMAU war and he supported the initiation of the home guard force to protect those who were left at home from attacks both by MAUMAU and the colonial administration. He also mediated between those jailed for freedom agitation with the colonial administration.

He is among the founding member of the AIC Nakuru Lay People Fellowship formerly Laymen Association which supports Church projects and seeks to improve the capacity of Church members so that they may serve God better.

He has organised and participated in numerous conferences. He remembers two: one of which involved participant in evangelism while the other involved people with teaching. The text for this later one was ‘Kila Mtu ni Mwanafunzi wa Biblia.’

Doctrinal Stability

He firmly believes that the word of God is final authority in matters of faith and practise, he also believes in applying common sense in interpreting the Bible. For instance he differed with the East African Revival Fellowship adherents on the question of elaborate and shameless public repentance. His rebuttal was that the Bible teaches us that there are personal sins which should be confessed to God; Then there are interpersonal sins to be confessed to each other; while only public sins should be confessed in public worship as they stumble all.

He was also once a member of the Moral re-armament – a global non-violence movement; he differed with the them on the question of pluralism.

Conflict resolution

Having a wide experience in many matters of the Church Mr Wanguhu has been involved in resolving conflicts in the Church, mentoring and counselling pastors and generally shepherding the Church.

Writing

He has written the following works which he hopes to publish soon

On the cultural history of the Gikuyu People
On the Gikuyu medicine, food, farming and seasons.
On His family tree detailing nine generations and their movements.
Gikuyu Provers,riddles and tales (over 300 proverbs cited)
A History of the AIM Mission activity in Kijabe.

Travel

He has visited nine countries in the world besides Uganda and Tanzania. These include U.K, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Italy, France, U.S.A in which he has visited Fourteen States.

He has of late been invited severally to go to the USA where he has spoken in several meetings in Churches and to Kenyan pastors studying abroad.

His Watch word is ‘CEMAGA UGITONYA NYUMBA YA NGAI’ – Be humble as you enter God’s house.

Family

Mr. Charles Kamau Wanguhu was a loving, caring a devoted man who throughout his life gave all to family. His life was not without difficult circumstances.

In 1938 he married Martha Wanjira and they were blessed with 2 Children - Wyclife Wanguhu (deceased) & Benson Mbugua. However, in 1941, after a few short years, she passed on to be with the Lord.

Mr Wanguhu remarried Florence Wambui with whom they were blessed with seven children - Mesh Wanguhu (deceased), Alex Manyara, Gibson Gichuru, Lily Kabura (Sweden), Margaret Wangeci (Sweden), Lydia Nyagaki & Charleen Wamaitha. In 1971 he experienced yet another family loss. His wife Florence fell ill and went to be with the Lord.

He remarried Lilian Wacheke Wanguhu. Together they were blessed with 3 children - Arthur Wanguhu (wife Sarah Wanguhu) Wilson Kimani (wife Njeri and children Kamau and Cheke) & Ezekiel Manyara (wife Nyawira, and children Cheke and Wakini).

Mr Charles Wanguhu was a great dad, grandfather and great grandfather to many.

Fare Mzee Wanguhu MKL