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Ambrose Michael ofafa was a Luo politician who was killed on 21 November 1953 by Mau Mau in Kaloleni on his way home .
He was serving as a councillor in the Nairobi Municipal council after being nominated by the governor of Kenya to replace Achieng Oneko who had resigned to engage in the fight for the freedom of his fellow Africans .
"In Exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 5 of the municipalities Ordinance 1928 the governor has been pleased to nominate ,mr Ambrose Michael Ofafa to be a member of Nairobi Municipal council for the period ending the 30th June ",read a notice in the Kenya Gazette announcing his nomination.
Although he was a good friend of the two leading Nationalists ,Serving as the treasurer of Odinga’s Luo union Nairobi branch and once accomodated Jomo Kenyatta for 2 days in his small hut in Alego in 1949,he tended to lean more on the colonial side and was among the loyalists presented to princess Elizabeth at government house alongside Chief Waruhiu and Chief Njiri.
Many theories explaining why Ofafa was killed are in existence ,with some suggesting it was a ploy by the colonial government to drive a wage between the Luos and Kikuyus ,while others suggest he was killed by robbers.
But according to British records Ofafa became a Key mau mau target immediately he allocated himself a shop previously owned by Kikuyus deported back to the reserves by the British.
His death presented the British with a golden opportunity to deploy their divide and rule tactic by inciting hatred between Luos and Kikuyus ,urging Luos to join homeguards in order to kill Kikuyus in revenge.
When Oginga Odinga who was in Kisumu heard about this British propaganda he immediately made arrangements to travel to Nairobi.
Meanwhile Ofafa who was now lying on his death bed at Kenyatta National Hospital then (King George VI hospital) had also heard about his fellow tribesmen intention to attack the Kikuyus after being incited ,he therefore sent a message to Luos telling them:
“On the Nairobi city council i have been trying to help all Africans without regard to tribe ,and therefore earnestly pray that the whole of the African community ,particularly the Luos and the Kikuyu,that they should never allow themselves to become enemies of one another.”
Odinga who was now already in Nairobi held a series of meetings with Luos in Eastlands,explaining to them that the British were indeed the cause of Mau Mau and that Mau Mau ,which he described as a force that was out to end the British occupation of Kenyan land ,had nothing to do with Luo Kikuyu rivalry.
Rather than Kill fellow Africans in the name of Ofafa ,Odinga argued ,they should raise funds and build a memorial hall.
Ofafa who was only 35 was buried in Alego Kalkada in a funeral attended by thousands of mourners.
Ofafa memorial hall in Kisumu was built in memory of him and once served as the headquaters of Luo Union.There is also Ofafa estate in Nairobi.