Wangũ Wa Makeri was born in 1856.she was a kikuyu tribal chief in the British colonial period from 1902, during a time when such a position was reserved for males only. By this time the British Colonial authorities had begun a taxation system which was enforced by other locals.Makeri acted as a bridge to the Kikuyu for these authorities which she became a controversial figure to her people. She became a tax collector, who would intimidate tax invaders, imprison them and would use those prisoners as seats, sitting on their backs as they knelt. She was forced to resign from office in 1909 after a scandal where she participated in a male exclusive warrior dance (Kibata dance) during which her grass skirt fell off leaving her naked.