ABSTRACT
Studies of the Mau Mau movement in Kenya seldom give evidence of women's active participation in the various aspects of the battle against European domination. The major works on Kenyan nationalism and Mau Mau do not place women at the center of the organization. Any investigation into the course of Kikuyu nationalism and the Mau Mau movement is incomplete without a consideration of women if it can be demonstrated that women played pivotal roles in either the organization of anti-colonial activities or the dissemination of nationalist ideas. Kikuyu women joined the nationalist associations to improve their economic status, gain access to the political process, get more education, and regain alienated land. Kikuyu women participated in significant numbers in nearly every aspect of the war waged by the Land and Freedom army.
