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Introduction:

In general, Africa has been characterised by a European colonial presence. And history 
has shown us that this presence in many cases has caused unpleasant living conditions for 
the native people. 
 
Kenya was a British colony. When the British arrived in Kenya after 1880, they were 
most interested in the country&rsquo;s agricultural potential. In order to develop this, they 
expelled the Kikuyu from their fertile lands and confined them to small unfertile regions. 
That is, they prevented them from farming their own lands. The Kikuyu are the most 
common ethnic group in Kenya. They occupied the fertile lands in Kenya&rsquo;s central 
mountainous regions where they grew crops and raised animals. Before colonization, the 
Kikuyu had a normal way of life characterised by good relations with other ethnicities. 
But colonization destroyed this order and planted seeds of hate, hunger and misery among 
the native people. 
 
The discontent planted by the British in Kenya culminated in the Mau-Mau uprising. The 
Mau-Mau uprising was a movement that took place during the period of decolonization in 
Kenya, initiated by the Mau-Mau group, a clandestine organization that was formed by 
anti-colonial Kikuyu in Kenya with the objective of freeing the country from the 
European colonizer and consequently retaking lost lands. 
 
There was determination and unity among the people. A former Kenyan fighter, Jacob 
Njangi, making reference to ritual oaths &ndash; a traditional practice, affirmed: &ldquo;We used to 
drink the oath. We swore we would not let white men rule us forever. We would fight them 
even down to our last man, so that man could live in freedom.&rdquo; 
As you can see from this quotation, the unity and determination of the people in the fight 
for freedom was very strong. Home historians think that the determination of the Mau- 
Mau,served as an inspiration to other African liberation movements and was also an 
example to the colonizers. 
 
Even so, Great Britain did not give up easily and in an effort to contain the uprising, sent 
over its troops and, in a battle that lasted from 1952 to 1956, more than eleven thousand 
Kukuyu and two thousand British soldiers were killed. Thousands of Africans involved in 
the uprising were imprisoned, including JomoKenhatta, who would later become 
president of Kenya.But the Mau-Mau fight for autonomy and freedom was a courageous 
show of strength. 
 
With maturation of African political organizations and the continuing violent revolt of the 
Mau-Mau right up to the end of the 1950s, the British regime became unsustainable. As a 
result, the first general elections were held in Kenya in 1960, which gave the Africans 
legislative control of the country. When Kenyatta was freed in 1961, the terms of 
independence were negotiated and this independence was declared in 1963. 
 
Broaden your knowledge of the Mau-Mau uprising through reading the available material. 
 
Good luck!

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