RETIRED Tanzania People’s Defence Forces army officer, the late Alexander Nyirenda, erected both the Uhuru Torch and the Tanganyika flag on top of Mount Kilimanjaro on the eve of the country’s Independence 51 years ago.

But the man who actually carried ‘Mwenge’ all the way to the top of Africa’s highest peak happens to be another unsung hero, Mr Emmanuel-Petro Minja.

Born on the 28th July 1930, Minja only managed to school up to class six; “In those days children from poor families never made it to secondary level and in fact among the fruits of independence is that nowadays education can be attained by everybody whether rich or poor,’ he said. Dropping out of school, Minja had to find a job and after months of loitering his uncle came to the rescue; “Mr John Lauwo, my mother’s brother was an expert mountain guide.

Coincidentally, John (Yohani) Lauwo was also a legendary name in Mount Kilimanjaro’s history. He made history when at the age of 16 guided Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller to the highest point of Africa on October, 1889. The two Germans were the first Europeans to climb Africa’s highest peak.

“I was chosen to carry the torch onto the Mountain Summit with clear instructions from Nyerere himself,” said Minja.

And in the night of Saturday, December 9, 1961 the torch arrived safely on top of Kilimanjaro. “We had a walkie-talkie which started to count down minutes to midnight and a voice from the machine told us; “Celebrate now it is midnight and the country is free!” Cheers followed as Lieutenant Nyirenda hoisted both the torch and national flag on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro signaling a new dawn in a new country.

Read the full story here:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201212100036.html?viewall=1