Mau Mau Uprising

The Mau Mau Uprising was an eight-year rebellion by native Kenyans against the British colonial power. Although the uprising did not succeed in overthrowing the existing government, it furthered the cause for Kenyan independence, which came three years after the conflict ended.

As Europeans took over more and more of their land, and relegated the native Kikuyu people to poorly paid tenant farmers, many of the natives migrated to the cities in search of work. In their absence, the few remaining Kikuyu landowners consolidated their lands and formed alliances with the colonial powers.

A rift formed between the landowning and landless Kikuyu and tensions erupted when Jomo Kenyatta, the leader of the Kikuyu Central Association, whose mandate was to peaceably reclaim former Kikuyu lands from European settlers, was jailed for his implied connection the the Mau Mau in 1951.

This led to civil war between the two groups, which resulted in the slaughter of an estimated 2,000 Kikuyu who refused to declare their loyalty to the rebellion and denounce the colonists. Another 13,000 were killed while fighting the British army.

• EntertainmentInsider: Review: Mau Mau (1955)

• University of California Berkeley Library: No Easy Walk summary

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 1954: Africa Adventure (documentary)

• 1955: Mau-Mau (documentary)

• 1955: Simba

• 1956: Safari

• 1957: Something of Value

• 1966: Africa Addio

• 1987: The Kitchen Toto

• 2004: Empire Warriors (TV miniseries)

• 2005: The Oath

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