How did nearby residents support Mau Mau fighters during the rebellion?

During the Mau Mau Rebellion, residents in areas near the forests where fighters were based provided crucial grassroots support to the movement. These supporters supplied the rebels with essential resources, including food, weapons, and intelligence, which allowed the Mau Mau to sustain their guerrilla operations against British colonial forces.1

This support network was a significant factor in the movement's ability to organize, despite the intense pressure from the British colonial administration. In response to this widespread grassroots backing, the British implemented harsh counterinsurgency measures, such as Operation Anvil in 1954, which involved forcibly removing residents from their homes and placing them into detention camps to sever the links between the civilian population and the fighters.1