Timeline
1921
Born at Dagoretti.
1927-1934
Primary School at Santamor Estate.
1934-1939
Kahuhia Central Primary School.
Map drawn by Kaggia when at Primary School.
1939
Selected to go to Alliance High School, but lacked school fees.
1940
Clerk at the DCs office Murang’a. He suffered serious racial discrimination and this made a deep impact.
1941
Joined the army principally to seize the opportunity to travel to Jerusalem.
1941-1945
Served in the Army in the Middle East and visited Jerusalem twice.
1945-46
Posted in the United Kingdom to repatriate East African soldiers who had been captured in North Africa.
1946
Discharged from the army. Came back to Kenya a changed man fired with the mission to liberate his people from the colonial yoke.
1946
Became the spiritual leader of an independent Anglican Church, popularly known as the ‘Dini ya Kaggia’.
1947
Married Deborah Wambui Nelson Gitau. It was the first Christian wedding in Kenya to be conducted without a pastor or priest from one of the established churches.
1948
Established the Clerks and the Commercial Workers Union and became its first chairman.
1950
Mwaganu was born
1951
President of the Labour Trade Union of East Africa.
General Secretary of Nairobi Branch of Kenya African Union (KAU)
Member of Mau Mau Central Committee .
1952, 21 October
Arrested and later taken for trial at Kapenguria with Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Kunga Karumba, Achieng' Oneko and Fred Kubai. Generally known as the Kapenguria Six.
Kapenguria Six in front of the courtroom. Left to right: Ngei, Kubai, Kenyatta, Oneko, Karumba and Kaggia .
Kaggia in front of the Kapenguria cells
1953
Sentenced seven years hard labour for managing Mau Mau. Subsequently he was imprisoned at Lokitaung together with Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Kungu Karumba and Fred Kubai (Later, Achieng' Oneko won his appeal but was not left free, but detained and camps all over Kenya).
Imprisoned at Lokitaung till 1959. The five themselves maintain that they are political prisoners.
1959-1961
Detained at Lodwar
1961
Transfered from Lodwar to Gitura Village. Kaggia was the last one of the Kapenguria Six to be removed from Lodwar. At Gitura village Kaggia was still a restrictee till late 1961.
Mbugua was born.
1962
Elected KANU Chairman, Naivasha Branch.
1963
Elected MP Kandara and appointed as Assistant Minister for Education.
1964
Resigns from his post as Assistant Minister as protest against the government for not honouring it pledges to give confiscated land by the colonial government back to rightful owners.
Elected KANU chairman Murang’a Branch
1965
Njoki was born
1966
27 MPs resign from KANU
Resigned from KANU and joined Kenya People’s Union (KPU) of which he became the Deputy President of the KPU.
KANU introduces retroactive legislation in Parliament and Kaggia loses his seat as MP.
In the subsequent heavily rigged elections Kaggia lost his seat. These 1966 elections are known as the Little General Elections
1967
After KANU having moved a retroactive change in the constitution (Eighth Amendment) the petition of Kaggia and others against the 1966 elections is thrown out.
1968
Arrested and imprisoned for one year (later reduced to six months) for holding an illegal meeting at Homa Bay.
1969
Resigned from KPU, later the KPU is banned.
1970-1974
Chairman of the Maize and Produce Board and the Cotton Lint Seed Marketing Board.
1974
Starts posho mill at Makutano Kenol.
1975
The autobiography ‘Roots of Freedom 1921-1963; the autobiography of Bildad Kaggia’ is published. Unfortunately the book was, without the knowledge of Kaggia, heavily censored before it was printed. The part after 1963 was even completely deleted.
Retires from active politics. Till his death, Kaggia lived happily with his family at his small shamba at Gitura and at the same time he managed his grinding mill at Makutano.
1978-1980
Was appointed for a second time to be the Chairman of the Maize and Produce Board and later of the Cotton Lint Seed Marketing Board.
1980-2005
Manages posho mill at Makutano Kenol. He receives a lot of respect from all corners for hot having betrayed his ideals for money. When Kenya became a multi party state, politicians from all corners paid tribute by visiting him.
1999
After the death of his son Mbugua, Kaggia started feeling unwell and was later diagnosed with a stroke.
2000
Kaggia's wife, Deborah Wambui Kaggia, passed away.
A few months after the death of his beloved wife, Kaggia gets a heavy, second stroke and since then his health was very poor.
2005
Kaggia passed away
Achieng' Oneko, at that time the only living member of the Kapenguria Six, former Juja MP and freedom fighter Gitu Kahengere and Maina Macharia (trade unionist) pay tribute to Kaggia
Dignitaries at the burial of Kaggia: in the middle President Kibaki and the then Minister Raila Odinga. Mwaganu Kaggia to the left of Kibaki and behind Kaggia and Kibaki is Minister John Michuki
2006
Bildad M. Kaggia Foundation is established.
First Bildad M. Kaggia Half Marathon took place.
The government constructed a mausoleum at Gitura Village to honour Bildad M. Kaggia. It was unveiled on 13th October 2006 by the Hon Minister Suleiman R. Shakombo Mausoleum to honour Bildad M. Kaggia.
2007 vv
Annually the Bildad M. Kaggia half marathon takes place. In 20xx. It was discontinued because the KAF increased its fees substantially and it became too expensive for the foundation. However, the Foundation continued with other activities, e.g. tree planting, feeding poor people, donating school uniforms, etc.) .
2013
Launching of the book 'The Struggle for Freedom and Justice; the life and times of the freedom fighter and politician Bildad M. Kaggia (1921-2005)'.
