I USED TO STEAL POLICE UNIFORMS AND BULLETS AND TAKE THEM TO MAU MAU - CYPRIANO MUTIGA M'WARITHO

Mau Mau veteran Cypriano Mutiga M'Waritho belonged to the same clan with Gen Mwariama. He says that although Mau Mau fighters were in the forest, there were hardcore Mau Mau who lived with the people, spied on the colonial authoritiies and passed the information, along with guns and other war material, to the fighters in the forest. Without this network of spies, the fighters in the forest would not have been as effective. He also tells of how he took the Mau Mau oaths and has the good memory to remember the names of the oath administrators from his area. Upon the arrest of Jomo Kenyatta in 1952, oathing started being administered forcibly and no one could resist. He says that the dominant political party was the Kenya African Union (KAU), which was led by Jomo Kenyatta. KAU had a huge following in Meru where Mzee M' Aritho comes from. Lending additional credence to the view that some colonial chiefs were fighting on both sides, he tells of a sub-chief called Baiguatho, a KAU member who was also a Mau Mau sympathiser, who hanged himself when he learnt of the impending war. He thought that the war would unearth his ideological leanings and political activities. He also says that Gen Mwariama was a trained game ranger, which explains how he survived in the forest for such a long time. He tells of Major General Mandari, one of Mwariama's lieutenants, and of Jackson Angaine and Bernard Mate, two prominent politicians from Meru. He also narrates how a power-hungry Gen Baimunge wanted to kill Gen Mwariama and how Mwariama saved Baimunge, promoted him and instructed him to stop killing people as there would be no one to rule when independence was finally attained. Baimunge ceased the brutalities.

[@hutiangoige3586]

While the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule is widely celebrated, we must also examine the perspective of the "loyalists" or "Ngatis" who sided with the colonial authorities. Their motivations and rationales deserve scrutiny, for they offer insights into the complex dynamics of resistance and collaboration during oppressive regimes. Perhaps some were driven by pragmatic self-interest, while others genuinely believed in the colonial project's supposed "civilizing mission."
Rather than dismissing them outright, we should seek to understand the Ngatis' narratives - their hopes, their fears, and their visions of success within the colonial system. For every celebrated Mau Mau fighter, there may have been a Ngati elder counseling patience and non-violence, trusting in divine deliverance from earthly tribulations. To fully grasp the nuances of Kenya's anti-colonial struggle, we must grapple with the perspectives of both the "forest fighters" and those who walked a different path, even if that path proved controversial or unpopular in retrospect.
JUST MY 2 CENTS

[@maumauchronicles4296]

It is an interesting area of potential research.

[@cytkl]

Borithi the most useless beasts used by the enemies kunina andu ao. Marotoma. Thaii njamba iitu

[@maumauchronicles4296]

True. Borithi ya hindi iyo mari nyamu cia biu.

[@gcmm86]

its easier for him to use his mother tongue then find a voice over translater, so much might be lost while struggling to speak Swahili

[@maumauchronicles4296]

True. We have taken note.