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| Baricho Roman Catholic Mission church in Kirinyaga, photographed on July 3, 2013. |
It was a quiet night on October 15, 1953 at the Baricho Roman Catholic Mission. But that peace was suddenly broken when a group of armed fighters stormed the compound, turning the mission into a scene of fear and tragedy.
The attack happened during the Mau Mau Uprising, a time when Kenya was fighting against British colonial rule. That night, dozens of fighters armed with pangas and a few guns entered the mission under the cover of darkness.
Inside were Catholic sisters who lived and worked at the mission. They were unarmed and unprepared for what was coming. The attackers moved quickly striking buildings and people inside. In the chaos, two sisters, Cecilia Wangeci, aged 31 and Rosetta Njeri, aged 39 were badly attacked and later died from their injuries.
A Home Guard who was stationed at the mission tried to fight back and protect the sisters but he was also killed. Other sisters managed to survive by hiding in rooms or escaping in the confusion, though some were left injured and shaken.
When police and security forces arrived, the attackers had already fled into the night. The mission, once a place of prayer and calm was left in silence and grief. The deaths of the two sisters shocked the local community and spread fear across the region.
At the time, the conflict was not just between colonial forces and fighters. It also affected ordinary people, churches and institutions. Some Mau Mau fighters saw missions like Baricho as part of colonial influence. The church had been encouraging people not to join the movement which made it a target.
In the days that followed, colonial authorities increased security operations in the area. The attack became one of the many painful moments of that period, showing how deep the divisions were during the struggle.
Today, the Baricho mission attack is remembered as a tragic event in Kenya’s history. It tells the story of a country in conflict, where even places of worship were not safe and where lives were lost in the fight for freedom.