Dedan Kimathi's nephew, Nduhiu Wang'ombe wa Kieru, aka, Brigadier Kahungura, explains how he joined Mau Mau fighters in the forest where he served under his famous uncle and how he was saved by Chief Muhoya, one of the chiefs fighting on both sides. In saving him, Muhoya knew what he was doing; he wanted a link between him and Dedan Kimathi. Brig Kahungura says that a typical Mau Mau day started with prayers to Mwene Nyaga, the God of the Agikuyu. The prayers were led by elder-priests who were the traditional spiritual leaders. After the prayers, the military leaders assigned various roles and duties to the troops. Some were sent on missions to look for food, others to raid and other critical missions. He also reveals that some of the fighters who were sent on missions to raid white farms never returned despite their success. They kept the loot to themselves because of greed. Others were short dead by colonial security forces. He says that colonial army soldiers feared going deep into the forest because they would be killed by the Mau Mau. Colonial soldiers therefore threw bombs from a far, or from airforce planes. He also reveals that all Mau Mau fighters were prohibited from killing wild animals for food. Only under very special circumstances could a wild animal be killed for food. Even a military leader could not make the decision to shoot a wild animal; the decision was made by a special person, such as a spiritual leader. It is understandable why this prohibition was put in place; if the fighters were allowed to kill the animals which were many in the forest, they would not have been motivated to raid white farms and ranches for animals and food. Such raids, although often presented as criminal stock-theft, had the military purpose of scaring the settlers. #maumau #africanhistory #kenya #africa #africanliberation
29 фев 2024
