Luiz Ngumo, a 12-year-old from Nyeri, made a special journey to Kwale to take his place among this year’s Mashujaa Day heroes. He was the youngest of the 142 heroes and heroines honored during the celebration, which was led by President William Ruto at Kwale Stadium. Accompanied by his father, Paul Ngumo, Luiz was recognized for his remarkable bravery in rescuing two friends from a burning dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, an incident that captured national attention.
“I woke up when the house was full of smoke and rushed to wake up my two colleagues. I led them to safety and our teachers helped us escape through the window. I feel good about this recognition,” he said. Luiz was the centre of focus at the terraces reserved for heroes and heroines who did extraordinary acts in various areas. The Grade 7 pupil said he was called by officials from the National Heroes Council and informed about his achievement and was elated about the recognition.
His father said he was proud of his son’s act and was happy to celebrate his bravery amid a cloud of smoke in the burning dormitory.
Principal Secretary for Culture, Arts, and Heritage Ms Ummi Bashir said the categories in the list of heroes and heroines are liberation, freedom, sports, peacemaking, spiritual leadership, philanthropy, human rights, national cohesion and integration, arts, cultural values and practices.
Mr Emmanuel Esekon, national Tvet ambassador, said he had travelled from Turkana county after being recognized for introducing a smart stool made from metal and plastics to replace the traditional wooden stool locally known as ‘ekicholong’ that required the felling of huge trees.
The trained wielder said the smart stool has been part of efforts to address the effects of climate change and hence earned him a place in the national heroes and heroines list.
“I use my Tvet skills to make the smart stool and have gained acceptance in Turkana county. Apart from training youth on Tvet, I use the opportunity to campaign against alcohol and drug abuse as well as promoting environmental conservation,” he said.
Luiz Ngumo expressed his admiration for Kwale County’s environment, noting the significant progress locals had made in forest conservation compared to Turkana. “As heroes and heroines, we planted trees here, and I am happy to see that the local people are champions of conservation,” he said.
Another hero from Kwale, Ali Mwachausa, was honored for promoting community cohesion through sports.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani highlighted the immense benefits the region gained from the Mashujaa Day celebration, including the construction of Kwale Stadium to international standards, the building of a mini-state lodge, and the tarmacking of several roads in the area. She also expressed gratitude to the government for resuming work on the Kinango-Kwale road. Achani added that the county had recently become a popular tourist destination after being voted Africa’s best beach destination.
