ABSTRACT
Monica Wamwere, a stout upcountry woman with little formal education, whose smile revealed her mostly missing front teeth, stood amidst the small group of elderly mothers in a park in downtown Nairobi. As the Kenyan police, armed with helmets, shields, clubs, and tear gas circled the mothers, she began leading them in a traditional Kikuyu song. Young male supporters, sitting on the ground in a larger circle around the mothers, locked arms in an attempt to provide a human shield against the impending attack.
