THE SECRET MAU MAU CODE MEMBERS USED TO IDENTIFY ONE ANOTHER - FLORENCE WANGECHI

As a small girl, Florence Wangeci got curious about Mau Mau activities around her father's homestead where oathing was taking place, led by her uncle. She met Kimathi, Gen China and other fighters. She had to be given the oath by elders to make sure she was brought firmly to the fold. She then became a scout, gathering intelligence for the movement. She tells of the hardships at the time, including forcible marriage of Kikuyu girls by colonial home guards, and interrupted dreams of her own education. She narrates how Waruru Kanja, a security officer, used to steal guns that would then end up with the Mau Mau fighters. Interestingly, she tells of the fighters spirited attempt to continue with family life, sneaking into their homes at night or at other opportune times. Children would then be raised, continuing the lineage of the men who were in the forest. It was a time of great sacrifice for everyone. Although Kenyatta denied by the leader of Mau Mau during his trial in Kapenguria, for the umpteenth time, it emerges that there was a coordinated connection between Mau Mau and Jomo Kenyatta, a fact that has been stated by many veterans interviewed by Mau Mau Chronicles (This linkage is vehemently denied by those who firmly believe Kenyatta had nothing to do with Mau Mau based on perceived postcolonial betrayals of Mau Mau). But fact and witnessing are stubborn; it would appear that while Kenyatta was too old to go into the forest, he was recognized as the leader of the movement and was consulted by the youths who went into the forest, never mind what happened or did not happen after independence.