First conference on Mau Mau kicks off at Karatina University

By Stephen Makabila

Nyeri, Kenya: Leading local and foreign history scholars converge at Karatina University Thursday for the first ever Mau-Mau international conference co-hosted by the institution and National Museums of Kenya (NMK).

Sports, Culture and Arts Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario will be presiding over the official opening of the conference.

Other key speakers include Karatina University Vice Chancellor Mucai Muchiri and NMK CEO Idle Farah. Prof Caroline Elkins, a historian at Harvard University, is one of the keynote presenters at the conference as is Prof Bethwel Ogot, a pioneer African history scholar with experience that spans over 60 years.

Elkins has done extensive research on the Mau Mau that culminated in her book Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain Gulag in Kenya. The book was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. It was also selected as one of The Economist’s best history books for 2005 and a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Award among others.

“Other speakers include Zarina Patel (a renowned Kenyan history author) and Macharia Munene, a professor of history and International Relations at the United States International University–Kenya,” said Prof John Mwaruvie, the Dean, School of Education and Social Sciences at Karatina University.

Deliver the story

History scholars drawn from the University of Nairobi, Moi University, Kenyatta University, Egerton University, Mt Kenyatta University and Daystar University have also lined-up papers for presentation.

Gitu wa Kahengeri and General Mwai wa Muthigi will give Mau Mau personal experiences while Joseph Karimi, a journalist and author, will deliver the story on Mau Mau hero Dedan Kimathi.

Mwaruvie further noted, “Our timing of the conference was for it to come on the eve of Jamhuri Day, which marks the climax of our Kenya@50 celebrations.”

The conference, whose theme is Mau Mau and other liberation movements: 50 years after independence, also aims to demystify Mau Mau and other liberation movements. It examines the role of Mau Mau as nationalist movement and undertakes a comparative analysis of liberation movements in the world.

Karatina University has established a centre on Mau Mau studies, which is the host of the conference. 

“The university encourages various sectors of the society and the nation to identify the need to reconnect with our rich and diverse liberation heritage to shape the future of the nation,” added Mwaruvie. He said although freedom movements shaped the social and economic history of our nation, very little attention has been given to them.