The Department of History and Archeology has organized three days conference which started on Monday all through up to Wednesday. Its been a wonderful  sections with different Keynotes Address,  Prof. John Lonsdale, African History Professor Emeritus, Trinity College University of Cambridge, David Anderson professor of African History, university of Warwick,  Prof. Mickie Mwanzia Koster, department of history and political science, University of Texas,  among others.

As a preliminary to the Annual #UoNresearchweek, which is schedule to happen next week 24th to 28th the theme of the conference has been “Recasting Mau Mau Discourse: Reflections on the Declaration of the State of Emergency 70 years later.”

The Conference was officially opened by the Vice Chancellor Pro. Stephen Kiama on Monday and in his remarks noted, ‘The story of the Mau Mau has many trajectories that have evoked deep emotions, both in the academy, and in society, at large.  For example, each of the key divides has a story to tell from either the so-called loyalists”, ‘sell-outs’ or ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines.’ It further raises pertinent questions that speak to the continued social, economic, and political ‘’emergencies’’ in Kenya today and how they resonate or rather derive from the 1952 declaration.

When delivering his keynote speech, Prof. John Lonsdale of University of Cambridge spoke on issues of Identity of the Maumau, the world outlook, their mandate and the history as it’s told by the British and what it really was.

One of the mau mau veteran General Muthoni wa Kirima was invited  in the Conference. Shujaa Kirima is still strong and an irony lady she has always been. In her speech she stated that “ The freedom we are enjoying now in Kenya she fought for it. That she was very hard working and the white man liked her and she would go harvesting cotton and pyrethrum for him.

Faith Alubbe the CEO of the Nakuru -Based Kenya Land, highlighted the unanswered questions on the emotive issues of land appropriation in Kenya. “ If maumau was about Land, why do we still disposed and landless people in our midst”