There is no agreement about how the name Mau Mau originated or what it means, though there are multiple theories. One common theory holds that Mau Mau is an anagram of the Kikuyu words uma uma (“out out”), and the group became known by that name after someone yelled it during a police raid on a gathering of the group. Another theory holds that the Kikuyu word for oath, muma, was mispronounced as mumau by someone being questioned by the police, who then misspelled it as “Maumau” or “Mau Mau.”
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