Mau Mau the Revolutionary, Anti-Imperialist Force from Kenya: 1948-1963

Very few countries hide or obscure the
significance of their most important historical achievements. Kenya has
managed to do so without any regrets or even a thought about the
implication of such a major oversight in connection with Mau Mau
Resistance. The reason for this underplay is not difficult to
understand. The government that came to power at independence was not
only not part of the Mau Mau movement which fought for land and freedom
for working people, but actively opposed it. It sought – and was given
by the departing colonial power – state power, land and freedom for its
class, thereby sidelining the radical resistance movement and its
activists. This elite then used its state power to ensure that the
nation forgets its radical history which would have alerted future
generations to the theft of their inheritance and country.

This
book provides essential facts about Mau Mau. It seeks to give voice to
the Mau Mau resistance fighters. It is aimed at young people who were
born after independence and who have been deprived of their historical
heritage; it is also a tribute to those who played a part in the war of
independence and in Mau Mau without whose contribution independence
would have remained a dream. It seeks to restore Kenya’s working class
history of resistance to colonialism and imperialism.

The Kenya
Resists Series covers different aspects of resistance by people of Kenya
to colonialism and imperialism. It reproduces material from books,
unpublished reports, research and oral or visual testimonies. The three
aspects chosen for the first three publications in the Series – Mau Mau,
Trade Unions and People’s Resistance – make up the three pillars of
resistance of the people of Kenya.