MAU-MAU WEAPONSLike many aspects of the Mau-Mau revolt, the nature and sources of the organization’s weapons were subjects of considerable speculation and interest. Whatever the speculations, it is now established that, contrary to the assumption at the time, there were no weapon supplies from the Communist world. It is likely that the theory of a Communist connection arose largely because the sources of weapons for the organization were unknown. Indeed, virtually all the weapons used by the activists were homemade, and the impression of external supplies of arms was rooted in the determination exhibited by the activists.
Guns were the most important weapons available to the Mau-Mau warriors, although they possessed few of them. It is now believed that efforts to secure guns had begun as early as 1949, and even by then Kikuyus had begun training young recruits on how to use the weapons. Word had, indeed, gone round as early as this time that all Mau-Mau members should try to secure guns using all means possible. There were three main ways in which Mau-Mau fighters obtained their guns: stealing, buying and voluntary giving from the government’s security agents. Stealing was achieved by apprehending government security agents, who were often attacked when found in isolated places. It was, indeed, a common practice to spy on lonely policemen with guns; depending on their mood and the level of resistance from the victims, the activists might kill the policemen. This forced the government to strengthen police patrol teams. There were also cases when prostitutes were used to tempt home guards to secluded areas, where they could be attacked and their weapons seized. In addition, raids were conducted on prisons and security posts from where guns and ammunition were stolen. For example, during the raid on the Naivasha Police Station in March 1953, the Mau-Mau arsenal benefited from 29 rifles, 18 automatic weapons and an undetermined amount of ammunition, which constituted a major acquisition for the Mau-Mau.
Guns were bought from two sources: government security agents and Asian businessmen. The Mau-Mau were able to acquire money to purchase weapons by gathering the money collected from oathing fees, from fines assessed on late-coming initiates and from collections from local members. Because of the low salaries paid to security agents, it was quite common for home guards to sell their weapons for supplementary income and to go back and complain to the government that their weapons were taken from them during a Mau-Mau attack. Memoirs written by Mau-Mau veterans have shown that Asian businessmen and their European partners also sold arms to Mau-Mau. One of the veterans, Ngugi Kabiro, notes:
When I left Kinyua, I went immediately to see my Asian friend. Telling him what I needed, we arranged to meet a few days later on Latema Road in front of the Green Hotel. He was to bring me six pistols and some ammunition for an agreed price of 800 shillings … On the appointed day I was waiting in front of the Green Hotel when the Asian drove up in his car. With him was a European whom I’d seen earlier in the shop. They were obviously partners and, though a little concerned at seeing a white face, I wasn’t really worried … I approached the Asian, [checked] the contents of a sack in the trunk of his car while his partner sat poised behind the wheel. Seeing that the six pistols and ammunition were there … I gave the money to the Asian.
This desperate desire to acquire guns also offered opportunities for Mau-Mau guerrillas to make a little money for themselves by inflating the amount of money they had spent in procuring guns from government security agents or the Asians. This strain of narrow interest did not, however, infect everyone.
The third source was the voluntary loaning of guns by home guards who had become oathed members of the Mau-Mau. Nairobi was a main source of weapons for the insurgents. From here, arms were transported through Kaiambu District, where local committees of the movement played a critical role in ensuring that the weapons got to the guerrillas in the forest. The Mau-Mau also had a factory where men produced guns that were used in battle.
The insurgents also used spears. These were the first weapons used by the movement, and they were manufactured largely by local blacksmiths. Other local weapons included
simis, which are long-swords,
kibokos, which are rhino-hide whips, and
pangas, a type of machete made of soft irons.
In most cases, Mau-Mau warriors reacted well to the weapons they were using and they felt comfortable using them. They were sometimes disappointed, though, that some of the locally made guns often failed to work at crucial times.