Kamau is a male name of Kenyan origin that may refer to: It is primarily a masculine name in the Kikuyu, belonging to the Bantu group who migrated from the Congo region.
The name was given to a group of young men who went through initiation together.
The initiation process involved circumcision, training and mentoring to help transition from childhood to manhood.
The young men in the group would take up their initiation group's name as a given name (Ritwa ria Rika) as a form of association, but would still keep their original name.
Thus the man's original name may be Wambugu, but he may choose to use his Rika name Kamau.