The name is absent

In concluding this chapter, there were questions raised earlier that
deserve attention. What were the circumstances and forces that led women to
take the Mau Mau oath? What were the oathing ideologies, motives, and dreams
of women? How did female participation in traditional male only spaces alter
gender roles and relationships in Kenya? And how was the oath transformed
through the inclusion of women? What we have seen in this chapter is that like
the new relationship to criminalization, colonialism opened up new spaces for
women by the 1950s which was one of many circumstances that cracked the
door of female participation in political matters. The major forces experienced by
women that led them to join the movement were the economic and social
conditions that lacked a proper colonial process for voicing political concerns.
And lastly, Mau Mau needed women to fulfill distinct roles that eventually lead to
Kenya’s independence.

Women wanted to reclaim their lives as they knew them prior to colonial
rule. This meant reclaiming their stolen assets, livestock, and land from the
Europeans. Women also wanted fair treatment and respect. In this regard,
women and men shared similar aspirations, ideologies, and motives.⁹⁴ The
collective reasons for women and men participating in oathing was to defeat
colonial rule; to rule themselves; to gain past freedoms; to unite; to retrieve their
land; to be independent; to be treated with respect; and to put an end to physical
abuse by the colonists.⁹⁵

⁹⁴ Field Interviews, January 2009, Machakos.

⁹⁵ Field Interviews, January 2009, Machakos.

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