Leading up to the decolonization and attainment of independence by Kenya, the Mau Mau rebellion was influential in persuading the British government to end their colonial rule because the citizens of Great Britain would not support the continual use of force and military to simply maintain a colonial holding (Nissimi 2). This uprising led to the deployment of over 50,000 British troops and policemen who killed 12,000 Kenyan rebels (numbers are estimated as high as 20,000 if unofficial deaths are included) and 1,819 civilians between the years of 1952 and 1960. However, the number of British casualties was significantly lower than that of the Kenyans, totaling less than 1,000 killed and wounded during the conflict (Anderson 4). The difference
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There were a number of groups that formed in response to the unjust policies of the British governing them, the first major one being the Kikuyu Central Association. This group petitioned against the colonial rule, rejecting their authority and campaigning against the “kipande,” which was the collection of fingerprints and personal information of all African males intending to restrict the unsanctioned movement of these Africans since they had to wear this information at all times (Anderson 459-485). After the police reaction to this protest got out of hand (shots were fired at the protesters), a new group of less conservative protesters spawned, calling themselves the Kenya African Union. This group, led by Jomo Kenyatta, was created with a more moderate agenda, gaining more support from nationalists who thought that the KCA was too conservative in practice and wanted more direct action to be taken (Brendon 550). In dealing with the government officials, Kenyatta was more conservative than most of his KAU counterparts, believing that liberation of Kenya should come through reforms in the policies already in place instead of through violent revolts (551). The greatest issue Kenyatta faced was with his position as a diplomat to England; while he wanted to have political progression in Kenya, he had to be careful about committing acts of sedition because it would have hindered any progress he had made for obtaining independence relatively peacefully (552). Seemingly little progress was made, and by 1952, the more radical members of the KAU were becoming desperate for a
There were a number of groups that formed in response to the unjust policies of the British governing them, the first major one being the Kikuyu Central Association. This group petitioned against the colonial rule, rejecting their authority and campaigning against the “kipande,” which was the collection of fingerprints and personal information of all African males intending to restrict the unsanctioned movement of these Africans since they had to wear this information at all times (Anderson 459-485). After the police reaction to this protest got out of hand (shots were fired at the protesters), a new group of less conservative protesters spawned, calling themselves the Kenya African Union. This group, led by Jomo Kenyatta, was created with a more moderate agenda, gaining more support from nationalists who thought that the KCA was too conservative in practice and wanted more direct action to be taken (Brendon 550). In dealing with the government officials, Kenyatta was more conservative than most of his KAU counterparts, believing that liberation of Kenya should come through reforms in the policies already in place instead of through violent revolts (551). The greatest issue Kenyatta faced was with his position as a diplomat to England; while he wanted to have political progression in Kenya, he had to be careful about committing acts of sedition because it would have hindered any progress he had made for obtaining independence relatively peacefully (552). Seemingly little progress was made, and by 1952, the more radical members of the KAU were becoming desperate for a