Dedan Kimathi

African revolutionary leader

• Born: October 31, 1920
• Birthplace: Nyeri District, Central Province, Kenya
• Died: February 18, 1957
• Place of death: Nairobi, Kenyla

Significance: Dedan Kimathi was the leader of the Mau Mau rebels who fought for Kenyan independence from the British colonial government in the 1950s. Viewed as a terrorist by the British, Kimathi was captured and executed. Five decades after his 1957 execution, Kimathi’s contribution to Kenyan freedom was recognized with a statue in his honor in Nairobi.

Background

Kimathi wa Waciuri was born on October 31, 1920, in Kanyinya in the Nyeri District of Central Province of what was then British Kenya. He was part of the Ambui clan, which is one of the nine groups comprising the Agikuyu or Kikuyu tribe, Kenya’s largest ethnic group. His paternity is questionable. His father is usually listed as a man named Wachiuri, who died before Kimathi was born. However, some sources indicate that his father was killed in 1918 toward the end of World War I and Kimathi was fathered by a man named Ng’aragu in a custom that allowed certain friends of a deceased man to father children on the friend’s behalf. Kimathi was raised by his mother, Waibuthi, who was one of Wachiuri’s three wives, and had several siblings and half-siblings.

Kimathi began his formal education at the age of fifteen at Karuna-ini primary school, where he learned English. He attended high school at Tumutumu CMS School and excelled in language arts, including writing, poetry, and debate. He collected tree seeds for the forestry department to help pay the mandatory school fees charged in his country. However, Kimathi frequently challenged the school rules and was often in trouble, eventually leaving school because of his behavior and lack of finances.

Kimathi worked in a succession of jobs, including livestock care. In the 1940s, he enlisted in the army to serve in World War II. However, he was discharged in 1944 for misconduct. He then taught for a time at his former high school, from which he was eventually fired, reportedly for challenging the administration on issues of fairness about which he felt strongly. Because he had a strong command of English and the ability to write well, Kimathi continued to work at various jobs without determining a career. Although he frequently clashed with authority figures, he was reportedly deeply religious and well-liked by his contemporaries.

Life’s Work

In 1946, Kimathi joined the Kenya African Union (KAU), a political organization formed in 1944 to better the living, working, and political conditions for Africans. Over the next several years, he became increasingly interested and involved in the region’s politics and by 1950, he joined the Mau Mau, a militant African nationalist movement that began in Kenya, which the British had colonized in 1888. The area had no natural resources that the British could use; however, it provided easier access to other areas that had the necessary resources. The problem was that the native population far exceeded the number of British people in the area, so to exert some control, the British instituted a hut tax. This had to be paid in a currency acceptable to the British, which meant that the Africans had to work for others for money to pay the tax. Unpaid taxes resulted in fines, which required more money.

These were just the first of a series of taxes and rules that the British imposed on the Africans, and as the decades went on, resentment against British policies increased. By the 1950s, the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA) was formed to fight against the British. This group came to be known as the Mau Mau for uncertain reasons. The army initially consisted of mostly Kikuyu tribesmen, though they were later joined by several other African ethnic groups.

Kimathi became secretary for the Mau Mau, a position in which he administered the oath that made one a Mau Mau. He was militantly in favor of this oath-taking process, viewing it as essential to developing the loyalty needed to continue the fight. As the Mau Mau grew in size, the British considered it to be a threat and viewed its members, including Kimathi, as terrorists.

Between 1952 and 1960, a conflict known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, the Mau Mau Uprising, the Mau Mau Revolt, or the Kenya Emergency, was waged by Kimathi and his associates. Because they lacked the resources for fortifications and heavy weapons, most of their attacks were at night or at carefully targeted positions where the British forces were weak. The KLFA used their home-turf knowledge of the land and the locations of the British forces to plan attacks where they were most likely to succeed.

Kimathi was both an efficient fighter and a strong rallying point for the rebel fighters, and this made him a prime target for the British forces. He was captured once and escaped with the help of loyal local police officers. However, on October 21, 1956, a British officer who had made finding and capturing Kimathi a personal goal finally succeeded. Kimathi was found in his forest hideout and shot in the leg. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, and his trial occurred while he was hospitalized.

Kimathi was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. His appeal failed, and he was executed by hanging on February 18, 1957, in Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, and buried in an unmarked location. The location of his grave remained a mystery until 2019, when the Dedan Kimathi Foundation announced that it had identified his burial place. Kimathi was survived by his wife, Mukami, two sons, and seven daughters.

Impact

Kimathi’s death was a blow to the morale of the Mau Mau, but it was not enough to stop the bid for Kenyan independence, which was achieved in 1963. For years after his death, Kimathi’s impact during the battle for freedom was largely ignored, and his wife and children lived in poverty. However, some remembered his contribution to the fight for Kenyan freedom. Nelson Mandela held him in esteem and embarrassed local leaders when he asked to visit Kimathi’s grave and his widow in 1990 and neither could be produced. In 2003, the Mau Mau were officially recognized for their role in the freedom fight and in 2007, on the fiftieth anniversary of his execution, a statue depicting Kimathi was unveiled in Nairobi. His widow and family were also provided with a home and other necessities in his honor. In addition, numerous roads, towns, and schools have been named to honor Kimathi and his contribution to Kenyan freedom.

Bibliography

Bilow, Ali. “Mau Mau (1952-1960).” BlackPast, 8 Mar. 2009, www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/mau-mau-1952-1960/. Accessed 26 June 2023.

Brown, Lauren. “Dedan Kimathi (1920–1957).” BlackPast, 20 June 2020, www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/people-global-african-history/dedan-kimathi-1920-1957/. Accessed 26 June 2023.

“The Colonization of Kenya.” Black History Month UK, www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/african-history/the-colonisation-of-kenya/. Accessed 26 June 2023.

Danflow, Lindwe. “This Man Dedan Kimathi.” Star, 5 May 2023, www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-05-05-this-man-dedan-kimathi/. Accessed 26 June 2023.

Hochet-Boden, Noe. “Kenya’s Interminable Battle to Exhume the Body of Dedan Kimathi, Leader of the Mau-Mau Rebellion.” Le Monde, 20 June 2023, www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-africa/article/2023/06/20/kenya-s-interminable-battle-to-exhume-the-body-of-dedan-kimathi-leader-of-the-mau-mau-rebellion‗6034326‗124.html. Accessed 26 June 2023.

Shimanyula, James. “Dedan Kimathi: Kenya's Heroic Freedom Fighter.” DW Global Media, 11 May 2021, www.dw.com/en/dedan-kimathi-kenyas-heroic-freedom-fighter/a-56974835. Accessed 26 June 2023.

Waweru, Kiunda. “Biography Reveals Intriguing Details on Dedan Kimathi.” Standard, 2014, www.standardmedia.co.ke/mobile/article/2000099421/biography-reveals-intriguing-details-on-dedan-kimathi. Accessed 26 June 2023.

“Why DeKUT Is Named after Dedan Kimathi.” Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, www.dkut.ac.ke/index.php/about-dekut/s5-accordion-menu/why-dedan-kimathi. Accessed 26 June 2023.