Kenya's first African Commanding Officer still going strong at 95

Retired Lt Colonel Joshua Korigo Barno displaying a portrait of the nine soldiers who represented British Colonial government in athletics in Vancouver, Canada. [Courtesy]

More than 54 years after he retired from the military, retired Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Korigo Barno is one of Kenya’s unsung heroes, who played a role in the country's independence.

He hails from the sleepy Kaptaragon village in Nandi County, home of many athletic giants, including Henry Rono, Janet Jepkosgei, Wilfred Bungei, and Ben Kogo, among others.

Barno was the first African Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Kenya Rifles and led the first parade as the country became a Republic on December 12, 1964, having attained independence and internal self-rule in 1963.

When The Standard visited his home, Barno was in high spirits, and memories of the event were still fresh as he narrated the events that dominated the independence celebration.

“It was at midnight when Kenya became a republic. I cannot remember well the British soldier who lowered the British Union of jack, but I was the one raising Kenya’s flag at Langata barracks,” he said.

According to a Kenya Gazette dated May 21, 1963, Barno was among several officers promoted to the rank of lieutenant from the second lieutenant. Others were Lucas Matu Mureithi, Jackson Kimau Mulinge and Peter Kakenyi.

Another gazette notice, in February 1967, shows that Barno was elevated to the rank of lieutenant colonel on December 12, 1964, alongside Mulinge and other five officers.

"I was commanding parade one while Matu was leading parade 5 of Kenya African Rifles shortly before transitioning to Kenya Army. When Jomo Kenyatta took over the leadership as the Prime Minister, we were swiftly given ranks as the first Kenyan officers," he said.

Barno, 95, narrated how he found himself in the colonial military as a young boy along the edges of Nandi Forest, a few kilometres in the outskirts of Kapsabet.

He had just concluded his intermediate class four exams in 1947 and joined his father, who was a farmer.

Retired Lt Colonel Joshua Korigo Barno [Edward Kosut, Standard]

A British officer had camped in the district commissioner's office at Kapsabet, searching for the young men to join King's African Rifles (KAR) in 1948.

"The British officer wanted people who could run fast. We went with some of my friends on a Saturday. I qualified, and the rest of the boys from the neighbourhood returned home," said Barno.

He said the colonial government highly regarded recruits from Turkana, Kalenjin, Samburu and other few local communities.

"The British took several months searching for young men to recruit them into the military in the Rift Valley region. They took us to Lanet KAR training college where we underwent training with other recruits from Tanganyika, Zimbabwe, Uganda, among other British colonies," he said.

Barno said after completing the training, he was posted to the East Africa region, Sudan and Zimbabwe, where they were tasked with guarding British officers against local communities.

Being a gifted runner, he also represented the British colonial empire in international athletics.

Displaying a picture taken shortly after arriving from the competitions, he identified seven of the eight soldiers despite his old age.

The runners include Kiptalam Keter, Paul Boit, Joseph Lerasai, Lazarus Chepkwony, Nyandika Maiyoro, Maboria Tesut and Charles Musendi.

"They were all forgotten soon after independence. Only a few of them like Lt Kimau Mulinge rose through the ranks and served as Kenya Army Commander between 1971 and 1978 and Chief of the General Staff later in the 1980s," he said.

Barno, commonly known among the locals as "soldier", engages in farming, community development and promoting education.

He said, though he was not paid for participating in athletics, he used his salary from KAR to purchase 50 acres of land in Nandi, where he resides.

"We had no health and education facilities, and being a polygamist, I had to donate six acres of land to the community, which premises Kabirirsang Primary School and health centre," said Barno.

However, he declined to reveal the number of his children, saying it was against the Kalenjin traditions.

"Unfortunately, my eldest son was killed soon after joining the Kenya Army in the early 1980s. None of my other children has managed to join the forces to serve my country. Four of them severally tried, including my grandchildren, but all in vain," said Barno.

One of his daughters, Ester Jepchumba, took another trajectory and played for the Telkom Volleyball team that represented Kenya in the 1999 African championships.

“I only want a small car to carry me around for a medical checkup and visiting my grandchildren living in various places. I would be a happy and grateful man to have served my country at my prime age,” Barno says.

Former Kenya Army commander Lieutenant General Lazarus Sumbeiywo led a team of former and current officers in a visit to Barno’s home on December 18.

Brigadier John Kipya, Commandant School of Infantry were joined by Colonel John Maiyo (4th Brigade Deputy Commander), Colonel Henry Kogo (Deputy Langata Garrison Commander) and Lt Col Daniel Baraza (current CO of the 1st battalion).

They hailed Lt Col (Rtd) Barno as a trailblazer, who set a firm foundation for the unit which has seen the unit lead in discipline, operational success as well as moulding of military leaders.

Glance

Lt Colonel (rtd) Barno was the first African Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Kenya Rifles

He was the first African Commanding Officer and led 500 parades of soldiers

1962, promoted to Lieutenant Position commanding over 1,500 soldiers

On December 12, 1964, he was promoted to the rant of lieutenant colonel

Barno says he was the officer who raised the Kenyan flag in the KAR Langata Barracks during the independence

1KR received and trooped its Colours in the Jamuhuri day celebrations of 1964, becoming the first military unit to be established in Kenya.

Lt Col (Rtd) Barno led the unit up to 1966 when he was appointed Commander Kahawa Garrison. He retired in 1967.