Muoki Mbunga (Tufts University) joins East Africa editor Michelle Moyd to discuss his newly published open access article, “Who Deserves to Die? The Moral Logic of Mau Mau Killings in Colonial Kenya, 1952–56.” In their conversation, Mbunga details how his novel use of the captured documents of Mau Mau guerrillas enabled him to explore the ways that Kikuyu ritual and traditions were deployed and shaped by the realities of the asymmetrical conflict. By examining the perspectives of fighters themselves on why, who, and how to kill, Mbunga makes an important contribution to the rich historiography on the conflict in 1950s Kenya.

The open access article is available online and in print issue 65/3 of the JAH.