Kenyan Mau Mau: Decolonization and Independence in Kenya

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Recommended: Compare and contrast american revolution

A country that used to be a colony of England fought for and eventually won its independence. The indigenous population of the country felt underrepresented within the government and felt they were being oppressed. Consequently they eventually decided it was time for the British imperialists to leave their land. Does this situation sound familiar? It should; it is a basic description of the American Revolution. It is less known that these statements also fit the description of the Kenyan independence movement. Even though these events happened many years and many miles apart, initially they appear surprisingly similar. The independence movements of the Kenya colony and the American Colonies at first seem parallel in many ways. However, the similarities are only superficial. Several important differences exist that separate them.
At first glance the movements seem strikingly parallel. One of the most obvious similarities is the fact that both areas were colonies of England. Early settlers of the Americas had various reasons for migrating to the future United States. Examples included to escape religious oppression or to seek economic prosperity. Whatever their reasons, however, they came. Eventually, the future United States became formal British colonies governed by the King of England. Likewise, Kenya’s borders were decided in the 1800s with no input from the indigenous population. In 1894 England declared Kenya a British Protectorate, and later, in 1920, they became a formal colony (History).
In both colonies the indigenous population felt under represented in the government. In the American colonies in 1763 the issue of representation was becoming increasingly important. The British decided that the American colonies were goin...

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... were a mockery of due process.
So the Mau Mau were utterly defeated. However, they did speed the process of independence in more than one way. For example, because of the rebellion, reform became imperative. An effect was that the British pursued Kenyan support to undermine the Mau Mau. One way they did this was by increasingly allowing Kenyan’s to participate in government. Through this participation a Kenyan elite class was emerging that was skillfully using where it was in its society towards independence.

Works Cited

Daniels, Anthony. "Mau Mau Revisited." New Criterion 23.10 (2005): 21. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Ogot, Bethwell A. Decolonization & Independence in Kenya: 1940-93. London: Currey [u.a., 1995. Print.
Tokar, John A. Logistics and the British Defeat in the Revolutionary War. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Army Logistics University. US Army. Web.

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