[3] He was a graduate of the Overtoun Institution of the Livingstonia Mission, founded by Scottish missionaries in northern Nyasaland, which educated several of the early African leaders in the colony.
[10] In a 1924 memo, Mumba described the purpose of these associations as to bring better local conditions and to represent public opinion more effectively to the colonial administrators than was done by the chiefs and headmen.
Nyasas resisted this move since they regarded the Rhodesias as "White Man" territory, and preferred the trusteeship arrangement in Nyasaland under which they had greater rights.
As early as 1935, the Blantyre Native Association led by Sangala called a meeting of leaders in the area where they were invited to sign a petition opposing amalgamation.
[15] Writing on behalf of the Representative Committee in a letter to the Chief Secretary of the colony dated April 1935, Mumba asked why Africans were not allowed a greater role in the celebrations of the King's birthday and in the swearing-in ceremony for the Governor.
He opposed the policy of the time which was to go through the Native Administrations, dominated by conservative chiefs and headmen, and recommended a greater voice for the Associations.
[24] Although Christian, Mumba wrote an article titled "The Religion of my Fathers" that defended traditional beliefs from attack by ignorant and prejudiced people.
[25] The article appeared in the International Review of Missions in 1930, submitted by the missionary Cullen Young and attributed only to "a member of one of the Nyasaland tribes".
[29] In 1934, Mumba asked the government to pay part of his son's secondary schooling in South Africa in the absence of a local alternative.
The Chief Secretary commented on the incident: "Such cases will continue to be rare for some time to come, fortunately I think, since the slower the progress - in the direction of higher education for the African - the better".