I vividly recall one of our gukas (Kikuyu name for grandfathers) who visited us once in a while when I was young. My father called him General, General Muriuki Karangi. My mum told us he was Mau Mau. He had these huge brown and dirty looking rastas, he looked very scary. He would tell us these stories of how they fought in the forest. I heard nothing, I would doze off and sleep. I think I was not interested in the stories, I mean I was just a kid. Little did I know that one day I would be here looking for information about the freedom fighters. I did not meet with his wife nor his children. The only thing I knew was that he was my guka from Nyahururu.
Unfortunately, my Mau Mau grandfather passed on a year ago … did he die with his great story? Naaah!!! You see, his wife was also a Mau Mau, Field Marshal Mukami, She is the sister to the renowned Field Marshal Muthoni Wa Kirima (picture attached). Girl power☺. Yes… there were female Mau Maus… The Mau Mau Maus used the women to gather food, ammunitions and information about the colonialists and take it to them in the forest. The women later decided to join the men in the fight for freedom….. to be continued…