Mau Mau Rebellion

Mau Mau Rebellion, uprising against British rule in Kenya that began in 1952 after a long buildup of resentment caused primarily by appropriation of land. Tired of having its grievances ignored, the African community, and especially the Kikuyu, one of Kenya's most numerous ethnic groups, gradually moved toward more radical actions. Some outbreaks of violence occurred in 1951, and the following year a secret Kikuyu society known as Mau Mau began a campaign of violence against Europeans and disloyal Africans. In October 1952 the British declared a state of emergency and deployed troops to stamp out the rebellion. Jomo Kenyatta, leader of the Kenya African Union, a predominantly Kikuyu political party, was arrested and charged with organizing Mau Mau. In 1953 he was sentenced to seven years in prison. Before the rebellion was quashed three years later, 11,000 rebels had been killed, and a total of 80,000 Kikuyu—men, women, and children—were confined in detention camps; on the other side, some 100 Europeans and 2000 pro-British Africans lost their lives. Although it was a military failure, Mau Mau rebellion brought both recognition of African grievances and efforts at correction that eventually led to Kenya's independence.