Paul Ngei

Paul Joseph Ngei was born on October 18, 1923, in Kangundo, Machakos, the grandson of paramount chief Masaku. Serving in the King's African Rifles in Burma during World War II, he became an outspoken anti-colonial journalist.

Arrested in October 1952 as one of the Kapenguria Six, Ngei spent eight years in harsh desert prisons. At Lokitaung prison, he famously intervened physically when a fellow prisoner attempted to attack Jomo Kenyatta with a knife, saving Kenyatta's life. Following independence, he served continuously as Minister for Housing, Lands, and Agriculture, affectionately nicknamed Bwana Mashamba for his charismatic populist style.