Muchemi Ndirangu was a Mugongoni (High Priest) of the Mau Mau who operated the fighters in Nyandarua and Nyeri. In this candid interview at the Kimathi statue in Nyeri, he proudly tells of their struggle with White settlers, whom he refers to in the diminutive as Ka-muthungu or tumi-mithungu, meaning small people. He and Kimathi initially worked in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua, where Muchemi says they were treated as slaves. Amongst other mistreatments, they were often forced to salute white babies. Muchemi says that Kimathi and Mathenge were summoned to Nairobi by Jomo Kenyatta where they were given orders to lead the Mau Mau military wing. This is one of a series of interviews to state that Kenyatta was at the center of Mau Mau. Muchemi was a recruiter and mugongoni who was responsible for administering all the seven tiers of the Mau Mau oath. He narrates about his arrest and detention and how they were saved by a deaf and dumb fellow who bit the nose of the dog. He was detained in Manyani and Lamu where he was isolated for his perceived radicalism. #maumau #kenya #africa #history #africanhistory #kimathi #kenyatta.
14 окт 2024
