Educationist Johnson Mwanza Muli was laid to rest at his Kalimani Village home within the Kalimani Location, Matinyani District in Kitui County on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
An estimated 2,000 mourners attended the burial. The mourners were addressed by the Kitui County Governor, Dr. Julius Makau Malombe, former cabinet minister and former Kitui County Assembly Speaker George Mutua Ndoto, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Kitui County Executive Secretary Simon Mutunga Nding’o, the KNUT Kitui County Chairman Samuel Kathinuku, and the Kitui County Medical Services Chief Officer, Dr. Benson Musyoka, among many others. The area (Matinyani) Assembly Ward Member, Sylvester Munyalo, also addressed the mourners.
Johnson Mwanza Muli was born in 1942 in Kalimani Village, Matinyani, in Kitui District. He began his academic journey at the Matinyani Africa Inland Church (AIC) Primary School in Kitui District from 1952 to 1956. He proceeded to the Mutonguni Intermediate School in Kitui District from 1958 to 1962.
He later joined the Matinyani Secondary School in Kitui District from 1965 to 1969. He furthered his training at the Mutuni Teachers Training College in Kitui District between 1970 and 1971 and later undertook other professional development courses during his career.
Johnson Mwanza Muli began teaching in 1972 at the Kwa Mulungu Primary School in Kitui District. He later taught at the Kyaani and Kwa Vonza Primary Schools in Kitui District.
In 1983, he was promoted to the zonal inspector of schools position and posted to the Ikutha Educational Zone in Kitui District.
In 1986, he was transferred to the Mwala Educational Zone in Machakos District, and in 1992, he rose to the Assistant Education Officer (AEO) position. He served in the Matinyani, Kitui Central, and Mutonguni Divisions in Kitui District until his retirement in 1999.
After his retirement, he started a transport business and later transitioned to farming. He died of pancreatic cancer on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at his home, aged 83. He is survived by his wife Emily Katumbu, seven children, fifteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Addressing the mourners, Governor Malombe paid a glowing tribute to the late John Mwanza Muli.
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The governor described teachers as very important people in society. “I am enjoying the goodness of education because of the teachers. I am what I am because of the teachers,” Malombe said. He highly lauded the teachers’ role.
During Kitui County’s development, the governor assured the county’s people that he would continue serving them effectively and efficiently as their governor.
He talked about the Kitui County’s Sand Harvesting Management Act by his government. “We in the county came up with the Sand Harvesting Management Act to deal with the illegal and unregulated harvesting of our county’s sand and for the good of environmental conservation,” Malombe said.
“The cartels are hazardous people,” the governor said as he talked about the sand harvesting in Kitui County.
The governor also talked about the water projects in the county. “The Kitui County government is the only one with an irrigation department among Kenya’s 47 county governments. We are doing some irrigation farming through our county government’s irrigation department,” he said.
And on education, he said they in the county have been doing so well. He announced that he will sink a borehole at the Matinyani District Education Board (DEB) Primary School, where the learning institution currently has a population of 1,000 pupils.
The governor spoke about the multi-million shilling modern administration block he has constructed at the Matinyani Boys Secondary School.
“The Matinyani Boys Secondary School Principal has notified me that the administration block I constructed at the institution will officially open on June 24, 2025. And he has requested me to be their chief guest,” Malombe said.
The Kitui County governor said the administration block is one of the best secondary school administration blocks in Kenya and the best one in the Ukambani region (Kitui, Machakos, and Makueni Counties).
The governor was accompanied by some Kitui County government officials, including the county ministers Richard John Mwendandu (Environment, Climate Change, Forestry, Energy, Natural and Mining Resources), Phoebe Ndunyu Mutemi (Gender, Youth, ICT, Sports, Culture and Social Services), Peter Nkunda (Water and Irrigation) and the County Medical Services Chief Officer, Dr. Benson Musyoka.
Addressing the mourners, Dr. Benson Musyoka asked the people to be screened for cancer for their health benefits. “Breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men are common. Cancer is treatable when detected early,” he said.
“We, the Kitui County government, have established a cancer centre at the Kitui County Referral Hospital. Since the establishment of the cancer centre at the Kitui County Referral Hospital in 2023, we have already treated more than 300 cancer patients at the centre,” the doctor said.
Musyoka highly lauded Governor Malombe’s excellent leadership.
By Boniface Mulu
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