The name is absent

taking the oathing vowels, statements, and words, which if broken, violates the
principles and agreements of the oath resulting in death.

Lindblom refers to the technical name for swearing over the “kipitu” as
“kuna kipitu" (to strike the kipitu) or “Kuia kipitu" (to eat kipitu), which is the
process of binding the oathing men. These differences represent the various
perspectives and names attached to this type of oathing.²⁹ There are different
interpretations of Kithitu oathing that will be explored in chapter three under the
pre-colonial Kenyan oathing sections. However, the important aspect of oathing
for this particular study is that Kithitu oathing is a traditional oath that has been
reconstituted over time to accommodate the modern needs of Kenyans.

Power is the ability of a group or individuals to change their reality and
impress this reality on others. It is an often unseen force that, when applied,
shapes the outcome of a variety of events. In Discipline and Punish, Michel
FoucauIt states that “power is diffuse” and “power and knowledge directly imply
one another; that there is no power relation without the correlative constitution of
a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute
at the same time power relations.”³⁰

Conclusion

The study of oathing during the Mau Mau period provides an opportunity
to understand the cultural, social, political, and religious values of Kenyans
during a very critical moment in history. By understanding the history, meaning,
²⁹ See Lindblom, The Akαmbα in British East Africa, 168 and Ueda in the article, “Kithitu amoung the
Kamba” describes this process as “kuya kithitu" (to eat the kithitu).

³⁰ Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), 27.

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