How I helped Mathenge escape from Kimathi “One ofthe grave consequences of ning the Mau Mau was tho immediate shooting ofmy mother. She was shot inthe bhaceide. leading fo an jy tet wuld make one of Re eg share forthe eatet her Me Eus sompated to wnat was Tallow in uray, my meiner was very lucky ingeed LUpon ening the maversant, cameo learn abouts stuctare dan Kimath had divided his people int bttaons and Slanlgy Mathonge boeame the eocond in cmmand Kath’ wife Nukam came ovo with us but ater some time she was taken aviay to 2 eae place ou ofthe forest. She teas aking baby gi called Nyambura and Kina waa said of exposing the chi othe extreme weber bouts of Aberdare treet. Atte beginning of 1954, which was the saddest year cf my fe, | was moved fom the Kimathi camp and went ove in ‘ne of the camps fan by Nathonga limmodately noted Nathengo wae vay dere fom his boss, hereae Kimath had Sa hiah-pitened vice, Mishange's was a Geap aartons that drove everyone to atanton whenever ne romped int n= ‘amp. He wae a widoly tavelod man whe had been to counties tke Epyp erael and Burma today € Myanmar) and he fold many sions abost tse paoos Wo didnot know thon but his dvargenco in personalities woud later xing diferences that vitally brought the whole movement down Mathenge ws taller than Kina Hevwas over 2c foet al ight-skinned tha gap betwen his test He was also reasonable and wing to negotiate during aerate. dont now what Kina thought about his frond bul seeing that cared his personal efacs sometimos, Iiguotaed Mathange made Kanata ie uncomfortable Colonial asers “Towards the mide of 1954 tha eolonialsldira ached theicdream when thy caught up with my father nthe fora dd shot him dad cold blood. They vowed o kite rat of us, Two monte later, my elder ster Pers Wambal was aptired and ahet dead n smiar fashion | was tod there was alo of colobratin in tho homeguardercles when ths happoned.| stumped ino inconsolable go er ‘manj months bi resale nat wuld Ive an fa ace the end ofthe sugges Kimath ordered maashe eaition and Ihe became 50 concent of is success at hs te he started toying withthe dea ef forming a goverment. He gave al the people nthe forest a rank. He designate th post of prime minster fr himsal To console me onthe deatt of my father and ssier nthe struggle, he Mae mea capian, There were sergeants pivates, corporal and even ‘colonels. It'd not surpse me when Mathenge turned dovm ihe oer to be made a eld marshal. He said Kimaty should fon ofan fam ealing times 3 pr mine, avgang tha is the Man who wel srsve the va who would lam tho post “There was 2 gi fom the Kimathi camp called Wanj and she was ane of my best ends. She told me varying that haspened in fe Kmath camp andl tek har eventing tat nappened in the Mathenge caro. nari 1556 ae 1 me the Kamath camp wae planning fo take unspecified neon on Mathenge. One day Mathenge wa arosted and Raid for curt maral athe Kimath cars, ostensibly secause offering lo negli or ceasefie wih the econ fotabiehmont| (On that nigh twas raning ang Mathengo an si of his men wor ied o toes some distance fom whore Kimath conatited wih his eoune! twas tts pon that | decided ta unite Mathenge wihout he knowledge of theaters. He et “waking dv valiey ang he was never sean again. Not aven ha body waa sverfound. Kina neverfalted about tether land we knw d wae a closed lope ‘for Kimathivas betrayed in 1955 at Vilage elle! Kahigainin Tet, we knew the and was igh | a8 areata in 1957 fan became prisoner nubar 2739 st Kann Maximum Praon, Luckiy, my intrrogater, 8 man eal Nelsen, knew my father and Hatched a echemo i rolosee mo even Gators the yoar mas Or | could not even renember the way back home. Peopie ha been putin camps and everything | had known and loved ‘was po mote. Our fam had lang boon given away and my fara made square Today we ve in Nyandarua wih my family, where we bought afarm and estabished a home