Although Mau Mau is the name by which Kenya liberation movement is known ,little is known about its origin and meaning.
some people suggest the name is a shortened form of Mzungu Aende Ulaya Mwafrika Apate Uhuru,however this was denied by General China in an interview in 1968.
According to China the name had no meaning in either Kikuyu or Swahili and that during the early days of the struggle ,the movement had no particular name.
In another interview in 1971 ,Bildad Kaggia who was one of the Kapenguria six traced the origin of the name to “Uma” which means get out.
The words Mau Mau started to appear in the press after a meeting was surprised by police in Naivashia where a number of people were arrested.
It is alleged that someone noticed the police coming and tried to warn the others by shouting at them get out, get out: “uma uma” ,but he said it so fast and transposed the letters that Uma-Uma-Uma came out as Mau-Mau’Mau.
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Hehehe… Ati he ‘said it so fast and transposed the letters’? That’s also suspect. Kwani he was a mzungu who couldn’t differentiate the singular ‘Uma’ to plurral ‘Umai’? Ama the said person shouted at an individual and that confused the rest into thinking he was volunteering a name for the movement?