Mau.64 Therefore, his book offers his perspective while serving in the Kenya
Regiment during the war. Smith offers a chapter to his account of the Mau Mau
oath which he accomplishes by first going back to pre-colonial oathing by the
Kikuyu relying on the early and classic writing of Louis Leakey.65 Smith attempts
to explain the power oathing had on the Kikuyu with the following:
“It is not easy for the Westerners to appreciate the hold oath-taking had on
the ordinary Kikuyu man or woman. The effect was very great indeed. It
played a significant part in every person’s life, and in bygone days was the
single most effective instrument for keeping discipline within the tribe. An
oath once taken, was completely binding, even if it was forced upon the taker.
So it was inevitable that Mau Mau should make as much use of this tool as
possible to carry out their evil campaigns, particularly in the early stages. The
first oaths were not powerful enough to entice ordinary Kikuyu into committing
murders, so the leaders had to intensify the oaths and make them more
shocking and therefore more powerful so that those who took them could be
thoroughly relied upon to go out and kill ‘the enemies of the Kikuyu
people’...The oaths grew from small beginnings, but as the pseudo oath-
administrators grew in confidence and developed even more heinous acts,
they violated more and more of the rules governing traditional oathing until it
became something so bestial and horrific that it was contrary to all
established law and custom.”66
Smith’s account of the developments, application, and importance of the oath
appears based on his direct experience in Kenya during Mau Mau. Some
aspects of his narratives are reminiscent of the writings and language used by
the first generation of scholars writing on the Mau Mau oath. The words like
“tribe”, “heinous”, “bestial”, “custom” were words frequently used by early
European writers on the topic. In addition, Smith offers some valuable insight
through his interviews, archived records, and Mau Mau oath photos. He also
64 Pascal James Imperato, “Differing Perspectives on Mau Mau,” African Studies Review, 48, No. 3 (Dec.
2005), 147-154.
65 Smith, Kenya, The Kikuyu, and Mau Mau, 137-141.
66 Smith, Kenya, The Kikuyu, and Mau Mau, 143.
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