One of the Mau Mau Generals is called Kabuku, meaning 'hare' in the Gikuyu language. General Kabuku also calls himself Lord Aberdares denoting the fact that he is the terror of the Aberdare mountains as far as the enemy is concerned.
Field Marshal Kimathi's guide in the forest is called Gumba. Gumba is the Gikuyu name for a tribe of dwarfs that was said to have once lived in the forest, and who were experts in bush-craft. "He had long endeared himself to everyone for his knack of interpreting forest clues that were invisible to everyone else."
Many other Mau Mau Generals also give themselves symbolic names, indicative of their fighting prowess. One such General calls himself Kahiu Itina literally meaning 'Knife in the arse', symbolizing what he does to the enemy. Field Marshal Kimathi himself has the code name 'Matemo', meaning 'the one who cuts'. This suggests that he is the keen cutting edge that keeps the colonialists on edge.
General Stanley Mathenge has the code name 'Kirema - thahu', meaning 'the one who cannot be touched by evil'. This suggests that General Mathenge is fighting for a just cause and is one who is unblemished. The fact that he is fighting on the side of justice suggests that no evil can harm him and that no matter the might of the colonial armies, he is indestructible.
Captain Vido is also known as Ndururi Gititika the latter name meaning 'one who pushes something burdensome'. The burden here is obviously the colonialists and Vido views himself as one who has the task of pushing them out of the black man's country.
Sergeant Kana Kehoti is one of the young forest fighters. His name means 'a child who is able to take care of himself' and therefore amply captures the fact that though he is very young, that has not prevented him from volunteering for combat duty.
Brigadier Mai Maruru's name means 'bitter water', symbolizing the fact that metaphorically the enemy finds him very "bitter".
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