Man behind ‘Juha Kalulu’ cartoon laid to rest at his Gatundu home
Fr Stephen Kung'u of Gatitu Catholic Parish conducts final burial rites for the late Edward Gicheri Gitau (Mzee Juha Kalulu) at his Muhoho home in Gatundu, Kiambu County on May 27, 2016. Mr Gitau became famous from the Juha Kalulu cartoon strip that has appeared in the Taifa Leo since 1961. He died at the age of 86. PHOTO | MARTIN KINYANJUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Fellow cartoonists and Nation Media Group staff joined relatives and friends of the late Mzee Kalulu to bid him final farewell.
- Mzee Gitau was born in 1930 in Gichuka, Gatundu in Kiambu County (then Kiambu District).
- The funeral convoy made a lap of honour round Kiganjo Town before heading to Muhoho Catholic Church for the funeral service which was conducted by Fr Stephen Kung'u.
- Mr Mugwe Mukoma, who worked with Mzee Gitau at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA) in the 1970s, described him as a jovial man who always avoided conflict.
The late Mzee Edward Gicheri Gitau, popularly known as Mzee Juha Kalulu from his comic cartoon strip that has been running in Taifa Leo since the 1960s, was Friday laid to rest at his Gatundu home.
Fellow cartoonists, among them Samuel Muigai (Igah), Wycliffe Otieno (Wycotie), Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado) Paul Kelemba (Maddo), John Nyaga, James Khamawira (Kham) and Nation Media Group staff joined relatives and friends of the late Mzee Kalulu to bid him final farewell.
The funeral convoy made a lap of honour round Kiganjo Town, a popular shopping centre which Mzee Kalulu always visited and interacted with the residents, before heading to Muhoho Catholic Church for the funeral service which was conducted by Fr Stephen Kung'u.
Mr Mugwe Mukoma, who worked with Mzee Gitau at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA) in the 1970s, described him as a jovial man who always avoided conflict.
"Any time people around him quarrelled and Kalulu thought the quarrel was unjustified, he would just walk away," said Mr Mukoma.
ORIGIN OF 'KALULU'
According to Mr Mukoma, Mzee Gitau borrowed the name Kalulu for his cartoon strip from Malawi.
"Once when he visited Malawi, he heard people always using the word 'Kalulu'.
"When he enquired, he was told it was used to refer to a person with huge ears. When he came back to Kenya he adopted it for his Juha Kalulu cartoon," explained Mr Mukoma.
'Juha', on the other hand, is Swahili for a person with poor judgement or little intelligence.
In his sermon, Fr Kung'u praised the late cartoonist, saying there was great wisdom and philosophy in his cartoons.
EDUCATIVE CARTOONS
He said the cartoons played a big role in educating Kenyans on their responsibility in building the country right from before independence.
"Mzee Kalulu did not work for money. He sought to urge people to stop living mediocre lives.
"We should all learn from him. He touched the lives of many people," said Fr Kung'u.
Former Director General of the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) George Muhoho praised Mr Gitau as a role model for many, especially in education.
He urged young people to emulate the late Mr Gitau.
"He is respected in the whole of East Africa because he took opportunities when they came. Let us emulate him," said Mr Muhoho.
Mzee Gitau was born in 1930 in Gichuka, Gatundu in Kiambu County (then Kiambu District).
He died at the Gatundu Level Four Hospital on May 17 aged 86.
He leaves behind 11 children, 32 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
