Karigo Muchai

The story of Karigo Muchai, militant of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (otherwise known as the ‘Mau Mau’) reveals in simple unreflective terms the experiences, struggles and sacrifices of a Kikuyu peasant, son of a squatter on a white settler farm, who joins the peasant-based revolt for Land and Freedom, fights for these objectives until captured, then spends six cruel years as a hardcore in over a dozen detention (i.e. concentration) camps. It is the unrecognized and unrewarded sacrifices of men like Karigo which Karari Njama refers to above. In 1962 Karigo could still hope for “… a decent job or a piece of land to cultivate” in order to provide for his family after independence. “These are the things we Kikuyu fought and died for,” he said. “I only pray that after independence our children will not be forced to fight again.” This text was recorded by Don Barnett.