The Mau Mau were Kikuyus; Mboya is a Luo, the second largest tribe. Son of a sisal plantation worker, round-faced young Mboya learned most of his ABCs by writing in the sand for lack of books and ...

Leakey, an expert on the Kikuyu tribe, had described the Mau Mau movement as “atavistic,” claiming it did not have political origins or purpose: “It was some sort of misdirected cult ...