GENDER ISSUES IN AFRICAN HISTORY OF FREEDOM STRUGGLE: THE CASE OF FIELD MARSHALL MUTHONI AND THE MAU MAU MOVEMENT OF KENYA, 1930- 2015

Abstract

In 1952, thousands of Kikuyu men and women took up arms in a guerilla war to drive the British out of their land. They referred to their movement as the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), popularly known as the Mau Mau. Numerous studies have since been conducted on the movement. However, despite women offering service to the movement across all levels little is documented about their role in combat and leadership. These aspects of the movement have not been central themes to preceding studies on the movement. This article uses Muthoni, the only female Mau Mau to lay claim to the title of a Mau Mau field marshal in her own right, as a ‘window’ to explore the contribution of Mau Mau women in the two roles. In their efforts to serve the movement as fighters and leaders, Mau Mau women had to first overcome challenges relating to male dominance of warfare in the traditional Kikuyu military organization and its perpetuation to the Mau Mau. However, many Mau Mau veterans oppose Muthoni’s claim to the rank. This article explores the role of Muthoni and the intricacies surrounding her claims to the rank of a Mau Mau field marshal. It draws information from oral testimonies of Mau Mau veterans and the archival sources. The findings of the study challenge the view that women were an auxiliary wing of the Mau Mau movement by depicting them as active combatants and leaders