948. Aũme mai kiima na maivandaa vathei. Men are not mean and do not sow in vain.

Grandmothers admonishing girls about the risk of sex said this sarcastically. Men will not say no if girls make moves toward them, and they will be quick to impregnate the girls. This is an ancient aphorism about male–female relationships, but it became common in the early 1900s when procreation was no longer a preoccupation and premarital pregnancies began to rise.

949. Aũme maiananaa ve ala me ngome. Men are never equal, some have cockrings.

This ancient maxim alludes to one of the rarest subjects in public discourse – intimate details about genitals. Women coined this axiom to describe different penis sizes. Some are too long requiring a ring to size down the organ. A cockring was thus worn at the base of the penis in order to shorten the section of it entering the vagina. By extension people have different resources and capabilities and can never be the same.

950. Aũme maithambanasya mũongo. Men do not wash each other’s back.

This is an ancient erotic and deeply symbolic proverb. It is said in a light moment to stress that there are certain things that people should do for themselves and never rely on others.

951. Aũme ti aa Monika. Men are not Monicas.

Monika (Monica) is a cover for women, so the proverb means men are not women. This maxim was coined in the postcolonial era. Monika is not a traditional name, but one arriving with European imperial culture. This is normally said by men in appreciation of their achievements against the odds.

952. Aũme ndĩa kĩnyũũto. Men, get your hoop rolling.

This ancient proverb refers to hoop rolling or hoop trundling, a children’s game that has been well documented. Kamba boys made wooden hoops and rolled them as they ran to deliver messages. In free translation it says ‘Men get your hoop rolling.’ It calls on men to work unceasingly.

953. Aũme nĩmo matusaa kĩtheka kĩthungu ĩei. Men are the ones who turn a thick forest into fallow.

This is varied in many ways that point to a process of exploitation and depletion of fertile land. In other words, it is men who turn a thick forest into a fallow one.