fighters were presented as gangsters, thugs, and criminals from the start of the
movement. Unfortunately, the emotion, passion, racism, and politics associated
with the movement have made it a challenging topic to study.
Despite the fresh perspective the dissertation offers, the field remains
conflicted and polarized because of the politics and nature of this particular war.
This dissertation was an attempt to take the focus off of the atrocities of the war
practices and instead to understand it from the perspective of the oath which was
the centralized power point for the Africans and an object of attack by the British.
The political nature of Mau Mau has resulted in silence. Unfortunately,
many Mau Mau Gathers refuse to publicly share their experiences for varied
political, social, and even cultural reasons. Nevertheless, it is still important for
scholars to continue seeking the truth associated with their history. The good
news is that the ban on Mau Mau, a shifting conversation on the topic (viewing
Mau Mau as a freedom war), and Mau Mau veterans feeling more comfortable
discussing the war abuses may all work together to open new possibilities on the
topic. There is an opportunity to still collect many narratives of Mau Mau veterans
to document their personal narratives in detail. The process can be long, as
identifying these individuals requires the work of skilled researchers, a great deal
of advance planning, and time. However, this oath analysis offers a framework
for asking new questions about war experiences. This is especially important for
testimonies of women like S. Kakie who offered a unique war point of view.
Similarly, the young and non-Kikuyu ethnicities that joined Mau Mau have
valuable stories that will offer even more perspectives on the war resulting in a
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