Question: What does Mau Mau mean?
Answer: The name "Mau Mau" was never used by the Kikuyu themselves, and did not exist in their language. In general, they called themselves the "Land Freedom Army," or the "Freedom Struggle Association." It was used as part of a psychological operations campaign by the British in an attempt to demonize the Kikuyu people, make them less than human, and easier to hate and kill. Some Kikuyu Elders say that the name ÒMau MauÓ was really ÒUma UmaÓ (Òout out Ð to get outÓ), a code word based on a secret-language game the Kikuyu boys played at the time of their circumcision. General China, a former Mau Mau leader explained that the native word for ÒOathÓ is ÒMuma,Ó but because of its pronunciation the Europeans wrote it as "Mau Mau.Ó The leader of the movement, Dedan Kimathi, was opposed to the use of the term Mau Mau to describe the guerrillas. He called them The Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA).