Entertainment
When Kenyatta Beat the Drum: The Rise and Rule of Fearsome Rift Valley PC Isaiah Mathenge
By BMJ Muriithi
A rarely seen photograph from 1966 offers a glimpse into the lighter side of Kenya’s founding president, Jomo Kenyatta. The image shows Kenyatta enthusiastically trying out a traditional drum that had been presented to him during a visit to Mazeras, Kwale County. Standing proudly beside him are Kwale North MP Robert Matano and Coast Provincial Commissioner Isaiah Mathenge.
It was a moment of celebration and unity in the early years of independence — a time when the young nation was still shaping its identity. Yet, the smiling face of Isaiah Mathenge, then a regional administrator, would later become associated with one of the most powerful and feared provincial regimes in Kenya’s history.
From the Coast to the Rift Valley Powerhouse
In 1971, Isaiah Mathenge was transferred from the Coast Province to the Rift Valley, a region that would define his legacy. The Rift Valley was not only vast and diverse, but also politically sensitive — the heartland of national politics and a crucial power base for the Kenyatta government.
There, Mathenge governed with firm control and unyielding authority. He quickly established himself as a loyal servant of the state, earning both praise and criticism for his unwavering commitment to enforcing government directives. His leadership style reflected the firm hand of the Kenyatta era — decisive, centralized, and intolerant of opposition.
Even Vice President Daniel arap Moi, who would later ascend to the presidency, is said to have been cautious in navigating the power structure Mathenge commanded within the region.
A Reputation Built on Loyalty and Fear
Mathenge’s rule in the Rift Valley was marked by his direct and sometimes intimidating approach to governance. Tales of his no-nonsense methods still circulate in political circles to this day.
One of his most memorable confrontations was with Butere MP Martin Shikuku, a fierce critic of the government. In one heated moment, Mathenge reportedly warned that he would personally discipline Shikuku if he dared set foot in Nakuru.
Another dramatic clash came with Nakuru Town MP Mark Mwithaga, who accused Mathenge of behaving like a colonial-era governor. Shortly afterward, Mwithaga found himself arrested over a domestic matter — a move that many observers at the time believed was politically motivated. Whether true or not, such incidents cemented Mathenge’s reputation as a man who ruled with absolute control.
The Circle of Kenyatta Loyalists
Isaiah Mathenge did not act alone. He was part of a powerful network of senior officials and politicians who were fiercely loyal to President Kenyatta.
This group included Provincial Police Chief James Mungai, Nakuru Mayor Mburu Gichua, Provincial Engineer Kim Gatende, Kenyatta’s Security Chief Wanyoike Thungu, and Nakuru North MP Kihika Kimani. Together, they formed a formidable bloc that maintained order and ensured unwavering support for the president’s administration across the Rift Valley and Central Kenya.
Their influence extended far beyond administrative duties. They shaped the political tone of the decade, ensuring that any form of dissent — real or perceived — was swiftly addressed.
A Complex Legacy
To some, Isaiah Mathenge was the embodiment of discipline, loyalty, and administrative efficiency. To others, he represented the excesses of provincial authority that characterized Kenya’s early years after independence.
Regardless of one’s perspective, Mathenge’s name continues to surface whenever the history of Kenya’s provincial administration is discussed. His story reflects a time when provincial commissioners were among the most powerful individuals in government — often holding more sway than elected leaders at the local level.
From that cheerful day in Mazeras, when Kenyatta beat the drum, to the tense years that followed in Nakuru and beyond, Mathenge’s journey mirrors the evolution of Kenya’s political system — from idealism to consolidation of power.
Historical Reflection
Isaiah Mathenge’s career is a window into the complexities of leadership during Kenya’s formative years. His methods were tough, sometimes controversial, but undeniably effective in maintaining stability at a time when the country was still finding its footing.
The photograph of Kenyatta, Matano, and Mathenge remains an enduring symbol of that era — a moment when culture, authority, and politics intersected. It reminds Kenyans that the foundations of today’s governance were built by men and women who operated in challenging times, balancing loyalty to the state with the demand for national unity.
Diaspora
VIDEO: Former Italian Catholic Priest Marries Kenyan Woman After Years of Missionary Service
Italian-born former Catholic priest Sandro Ferretto has married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, in a traditional Koito ceremony that brought together Italian and Kenyan cultures in a remarkable new chapter of his life.
For years, Sandro Ferretto was known in parts of Baringo not as a groom, but as a Catholic missionary priest who dedicated himself to serving local communities.
Now, the Italian-born former cleric has returned to the region under very different circumstances — this time as the husband of a Kenyan woman and a new member of her family.
Ferretto married Sharon Jepng’ok during a traditional ceremony held on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Seretion Village in Kasiela, Baringo South, according to multiple Kenyan reports.
Former Italian Catholic Priest Marries Kenyan Woman After Years of Missionary Service pic.twitter.com/fWEzqbn8eH
— BMJ Muriithi (@bmjmuriithi) September 7, 2026
The ceremony, described as a Koito, brought together relatives, elders and members of the local community as the former priest embraced aspects of Tugen culture during the celebrations.
The marriage has attracted attention partly because of Ferretto’s unusual connection to the area.
Before returning to Italy, he spent years in Kenya as a missionary priest, working with communities in the Diocese of Nyahururu.
From Italy to Kenya
Ferretto’s connection to Kenya is well documented by his former diocese in Italy.
The Diocese of Padua identifies him as a fidei donum missionary who was sent to Kenya in 2007.
According to the diocese, Ferretto was born in Piove di Sacco, near Padua, Italy, in 1973. He entered the seminary in 1991 and was ordained a priest in 1999.
He later spent seven years as a parish priest in Rossano Veneto before leaving Italy for missionary service in Kenya in September 2007.
In Kenya, Ferretto served as parish priest of Mochongoi, an area within the Diocese of Nyahururu.
The Diocese of Padua’s own records describe him as one of the Padua priests serving in Kenya and specifically identify him as the parish priest of Mochongoi.
His missionary work brought him into close contact with different Kenyan communities, including the Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Tugen and Pokot peoples.
In an account published by the Diocese of Padua, Ferretto described Mochongoi as a large parish made up of dozens of local communities and spoke about efforts to promote peace and reconciliation among communities that had experienced ethnic tensions.
A missionary who became part of the community
Ferretto’s years in Kenya appear to have left a lasting impression on him.
In a message published by the Diocese of Padua after his return to Italy, he reflected emotionally on his departure from Mochongoi.
He wrote that he felt privileged to have lived in another country, experienced another culture and been welcomed by people who had taught him important lessons about hospitality, sharing and community.
His reflection ended with a striking observation: although he had been sent to Kenya to evangelize, he felt that he had also been changed by the people he encountered there.
That history makes his latest connection to Baringo particularly striking.
Years after serving the local community as a priest, Ferretto has now returned to the area as the husband of a Kenyan woman.
From the church to family life
Kenyan reports describe Ferretto as having left active priestly ministry before marrying Sharon.
The Kenya Times reported that he left the priesthood and married Sharon Jepng’ok, describing her as a Tugen woman from Baringo South. The report also placed the traditional ceremony at Seretion Village in Kasiela, an area associated with Ferretto’s previous missionary work.
However, there is an important distinction when describing his departure from the Catholic priesthood.
While current reports describe him as a former priest who left active ministry and subsequently married, there is no publicly located statement from the Vatican or the Diocese of Padua in the sources reviewed confirming the precise canonical status of his departure from the clerical state.
For that reason, it is more accurate to describe Ferretto as a former Catholic priest who left active priestly ministry rather than claim that the Vatican has formally laicized him unless an official confirmation becomes available.
The Diocese of Padua’s records confirm that Ferretto returned permanently from his Kenyan missionary assignment and was subsequently appointed parish priest in Italy in 2020.
A Tugen wedding with an Italian connection
The ceremony in Baringo was more than a marriage between two individuals.
It also brought together two very different cultural backgrounds.
Sharon’s Tugen heritage was prominently represented during the traditional ceremony, while Ferretto’s Italian background added another dimension to the celebration.
Reports say the former missionary embraced the traditional setting and participated in the cultural proceedings as he formally became part of Sharon’s family.
The result was a striking reversal of sorts.
For years, Ferretto had arrived in Kenya as an Italian Catholic missionary working among Kenyan communities.
Now, he has become a Kenyan son-in-law.
A story that comes full circle
Ferretto’s journey in Kenya began nearly two decades ago when he arrived as a missionary priest.
The Diocese of Padua records that he spent years working in Mochongoi, one of the parishes in the Nyahururu Diocese, before eventually returning to Italy.
His missionary chapter did not, however, erase his connection to Kenya.
In 2023, the Diocese of Padua still featured Ferretto speaking about his Kenyan experience, including his encounters with Kikuyu, Tugen and Pokot communities and his reflections on the effects of violence and reconciliation in the region.
Now, that long association with Kenya has taken an unexpected personal turn.
The former missionary priest has married a Kenyan woman from the very region where he once served.
For Sharon, it marks the beginning of a marriage that crosses national and cultural boundaries.
For Ferretto, it represents a dramatically different chapter from the one in which Kenyans knew him as a Catholic priest.
And for the Baringo community, the story has produced an unusual sight: an Italian former missionary returning to the community he once served, this time not wearing clerical robes, but celebrating his marriage as a Tugen son-in-law.
From missionary to husband, Sandro Ferretto’s Kenyan journey has taken a turn few could have predicted.
The Rhumba powerhouse arrived in the capital on Thursday, September 3, ahead of his highly anticipated concert at Uhuru Gardens on Saturday.
And from his first moments in the city, Ipupa made it clear that he is excited to be back in Kenya.
“I am so excited to be here in Kenya. I love the Kenyan fans and the food. For my fans, I promise them a vibey and bubbly concert,” the singer said.
The statement is likely to excite thousands of fans who have been waiting for the African music giant to return to the Nairobi stage.
Ipupa, widely known for his energetic performances and distinctive blend of Congolese Rhumba, Afrobeats and contemporary African sounds, is expected to turn Uhuru Gardens into a massive celebration of African music.
The star was received in Nairobi and hosted at Villa Rosa Kempinski, where he is spending time ahead of Saturday’s performance.
But this will not be a purely Congolese affair.
Kenya is getting its own moment on the stage.
Nairobi-based artists from The Kodong Klan are set to perform alongside Ipupa, bringing a local flavour to the highly anticipated show.
For Kenyan musicians taking part, the concert represents an opportunity to share the stage with one of the continent’s biggest music stars.
Okello Max, one of the artists involved, described the moment as particularly special, saying Ipupa had been an inspiration to his own singing career.
“I am so excited to share the stage with that one person that has inspired my singing career,” he said.
Ipupa has built an impressive following across Africa and beyond, with a musical career spanning several years and a catalogue that has established him as one of the most influential figures in contemporary African music.
His ability to move between classic Congolese Rhumba and modern African sounds has helped him connect with audiences far beyond his home country.
Now, the spotlight is firmly on Nairobi.
With the superstar already in the city, fans are counting down to Saturday night, when Ipupa will take the stage at Uhuru Gardens.
And if his promise is anything to go by, Nairobi should be ready for a vibey, energetic and very bubbly night of African music.
A YouTube journey that began with travel, cross-border friendships and a desire to tell the story of Burundi has taken a deeply personal turn for Burundian content creator Claude Joseph, popularly known online for years as Burundian Traveler.
The creator has now proposed to a Kenyan woman, turning a relationship that has featured in his YouTube storytelling into what could become the next major chapter of his life.
The proposal is featured in a video published on the Go With J YouTube channel under the title “Will You Marry Me? Her Reaction Will Melt Your Heart.” The video presents the emotional moment as the Burundian creator asks the Kenyan woman to marry him.
But the proposal is only the latest development in a much longer story.
For viewers who have followed Burundian Traveler over the years, the significance of the moment lies in how far his journey has taken him — from a difficult past as a refugee to becoming a travel content creator, building an audience online, forming connections across East Africa and eventually finding love in Kenya.
From a difficult past to the world of YouTube
Burundian Traveler built his online identity around movement and exploration.
His early public YouTube footprint shows a creator determined to introduce Burundi to audiences beyond its borders. In one of his videos, he describes his dream as presenting Burundi to the world, while identifying himself as @Burundian traveller.
Travel was therefore not simply entertainment for him.
It became part of his identity.
His videos took viewers into places that many international audiences rarely see, while also allowing him to document his own experiences as a Burundian navigating the region.
One of the recurring themes was the connection between Burundi and neighboring countries, particularly Kenya.
That eventually became important to the evolution of his channel.
Kenya became an important part of his story
Rather than remaining a creator whose content was exclusively about Burundi, Burundian Traveler increasingly developed connections with Kenyan creators and audiences.
His YouTube footprint includes videos documenting trips between Burundi and Kenya, meetings with friends and collaborations with other creators.
One video from December 2022 is titled “I fly from Burundi to Kenya to meet my Mentor.” In its description, he again introduces himself as Burundian Traveler and speaks about his ambition to present Burundi to the world.
That journey illustrates an important stage in his development.
He was not only traveling.
He was building relationships and a network of fellow content creators.
And those relationships helped expose his personality to audiences outside Burundi.
The traveler was no longer traveling alone
By 2023, the content was becoming increasingly personal.
A video published in May 2023 was titled “NO MORE SOLO TRAVELLER AGAIN (Kenyan and Burundian).” The video description links to Kenyan creator Diana Kemmy and also references Claude Joseph and the Burundian Traveler brand.
The title itself is revealing.
The creator who had built his identity around being a solo traveler was now presenting a different chapter.
There was companionship.
There was romance.
And there was a growing connection between Burundi and Kenya.
A few months later, in August 2023, another video appeared with the direct title “Romantic Love with a Burundian and Kenyan Lady.”
The romantic theme was therefore not something that suddenly appeared with the latest proposal.
It had been developing within his content for years.
His audience began following his life, not just his travels
This may be the most important development in Burundian Traveler’s YouTube career.
Travel content can attract viewers because of destinations.
But personal storytelling can make those viewers emotionally invested in the creator.
Burundian Traveler gradually moved in that direction.
His videos began raising questions about his relationships, friendships and future.
Instead of viewers asking only, “Where is he traveling next?”, they could now ask:
“Who is he traveling with?”
“Who is his girlfriend?”
“Where is the relationship going?”
And eventually:
“Will he get married?”
That transition is important because it turns a travel channel into a personal brand.
A relationship that crossed borders
The relationship storyline also carried a strong East African dimension.
He was Burundian.
The woman was Kenyan.
Their story therefore brought together two neighboring countries with longstanding social, cultural and family connections.
One of the videos from this period was titled “Finally, I took My Kenyan Girlfriend To My Burundian Friends.”
The title tells its own story: the relationship had progressed to the point where his Kenyan girlfriend was being introduced to his Burundian social circle.
That was no longer simply a travel encounter.
It suggested that the relationship had become an important part of his life.
From traveler to someone planning a home
Another interesting development in his digital footprint was the growing focus on his future.
In January 2024, Kenyan creator Diana Kemmy published a video titled “Burundian traveller reveals future plans of the new home.”
The subject matter represented another shift.
The man whose brand had been built around traveling was now talking about establishing a home and planning for the future.
That evolution makes the latest proposal particularly significant.
There is a symbolic contrast between the two stages of his story.
The traveler was once defined by movement.
Now he appears to be thinking about putting down roots.
The refugee chapter adds another dimension
Burundian Traveler’s background as a former refugee is an important part of the story, although details about his personal refugee experience are not as extensively documented by independent media as his later YouTube career.
His public online identity nevertheless presents the refugee experience as part of his journey.
That background must also be viewed within the broader history of Burundi.
Political instability and conflict have caused large numbers of Burundians to flee their homes at different points in the country’s recent history, with neighboring countries becoming important destinations for refugees.
For someone with that background, the idea of eventually building a home, establishing relationships and creating a family can carry significance beyond the ordinary milestones of adult life.
It is a journey from displacement toward stability.
And that makes the transformation of his public identity particularly striking.
The power of collaboration
Another key component of his YouTube career has been collaboration.
Rather than attempting to grow entirely by himself, Burundian Traveler repeatedly appeared alongside other African creators.
His collaborations with Kenyan personalities helped him reach audiences that might otherwise never have discovered his channel.
The connection with Diana Kemmy is particularly visible in the searchable YouTube record, including the 2023 video about no longer being a solo traveler and the later video about his future home.
This illustrates an important part of the African YouTube ecosystem.
Creators introduce each other to new audiences.
A viewer who discovers one creator through a collaboration can then visit another creator’s channel, watch older videos and eventually become a subscriber.
Over time, those collaborations create a network.
Burundian Traveler appears to have used that network to expand beyond the traditional boundaries of a Burundi-focused audience.
His story became bigger than Burundi
One of the strongest features of his career is that his nationality remained part of his brand even as his content expanded.
He was not trying to hide the fact that he was Burundian.
Instead, it became his distinguishing characteristic.
The name Burundian Traveler immediately told viewers who he was and what made his perspective different.
When he traveled to Kenya, viewers saw Kenya through the eyes of a Burundian.
When he returned to Burundi, viewers who had discovered him through Kenya could see his home country through a creator they had already come to know.
That created a bridge between audiences.
The result was a distinctly East African YouTube identity.
Then came the proposal
All of that brings the story to the latest video.
The title “Will You Marry Me? Her Reaction Will Melt Your Heart” represents a major change from the early travel videos that introduced audiences to Burundian Traveler.
This time, the destination is not the story.
Love is.
The proposal provides an emotional payoff to a relationship that has appeared in his online storytelling over time.
For viewers who have watched the transition from solo traveler to a man documenting his relationship with a Kenyan woman, the proposal feels like the culmination of a much longer narrative.
It also raises the obvious question:
What comes next?
If the relationship progresses toward marriage, the creator now has another potentially powerful chapter to document — engagement preparations, family introductions, the meeting of Burundian and Kenyan families, wedding preparations and eventually married life.
In other words, the proposal may not be the end of the story.
It could be the beginning of another one.
Why his YouTube journey is worth watching
Burundian Traveler’s career demonstrates how a creator can gradually transform a relatively narrow niche into a broader personal brand.
He started with travel.
Travel introduced viewers to his personality.
Collaborations expanded his audience.
Kenya became an important part of his content.
Relationships added an emotional dimension.
Home-building introduced the idea of permanence.
And now marriage has become the next chapter.
The evolution can almost be summarized as:
Refugee → Traveler → YouTuber → East African creator → Partner → Future husband.
That is much more than a sequence of YouTube videos.
It is a life story unfolding in public.
And perhaps that is the real reason the proposal has attracted attention.
People are not simply watching a man ask a woman to marry him.
They are watching a man who once identified himself primarily as Burundian Traveler reach a point where the biggest journey may no longer be about crossing borders.
It may be about building a home and a future with the woman he loves.
Follow the journey
Readers can explore the creator’s earlier YouTube footprint through videos including “I fly from Burundi to Kenya to meet my Mentor,” I fly from Burundi to Kenya to meet my Mentor “NO MORE SOLO TRAVELLER AGAIN (Kenyan and Burundian),” NO MORE SOLO TRAVELLER AGAIN and “Romantic Love with a Burundian and Kenyan Lady.” Romantic Love with a Burundian and Kenyan Lady
The creator’s current YouTube footprint can also be explored through the Burundian Traveller hashtag and related videos. Burundian Traveller on YouTube
Editor’s note: KSN Media Hub could not independently verify every detail of Burundian Traveler’s early refugee experience from authoritative third-party records. The refugee background in this article is therefore presented cautiously and primarily in the context of his publicly presented personal story, while the chronology of his YouTube career is based on publicly searchable videos and channel material.
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