Dedan Kimathi

Statue of Dedan Kimathi in Nairobi Kenya

Dedan Kimathi Waciuri (truly, Kimathi wa Waciuri), (31 October 1920 – 18 February 1957) was one of Kenya's Freedom Fighters who fought against British colonization in Kenya in the 1950s. He was convicted and executed by the British colonial government.

The British colonial government that ruled Kenya at the time considered him a terrorist, as did "loyalist" Kenyans who supported the British occupation and seizure of Kikuyu lands and opposed the Mau Mau Uprising. According to some sources, under his leadership, the Mau Mau killed at least two thousand Kenyan civilians. The Mau Mau rebels killed only 32 European settlers, and fewer than 200 British soldiers in the eight year uprising. The British in turn killed 20,000 Mau Mau rebels in combat, hanged over 1000 suspected Mau Mau supporters, and interned more than 70,000 Kikuyu civilians for years in brutal detention camps on suspicion of providing material support for the Uprising. In her Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya", the Harvard historian Caroline Elkins claimed that during the uprising the British detained over one million Kikuyu in what essentially were concentration camps, exposing them to untold suffering, torture and death. Non-loyalist Kenyans, particularly of the Kikuyu tribe, viewed Kimathi as a freedom fighter, although many on the Kikuyu reserve viewed him as a terrorist, due to the predations of the Mau-Mau on those living on the reserve and to the atrocities committed by the Mau Mau upon them. A particularly good source of turned agents for the Government forces were those former Mau Mau escaping from summary justice handed out by Kimathi, which was followed by death by strangulation. As Kimathi's own band became fewer in number and the government forces became more adept at limiting his movement, Kimathi became more and more paranoid and would execute members of his own band for almost random reasons, usually suspicion of 'spying'. In the end the main force against the remaining Mau Mau led by Kimathi consisted entirely of former Mau Mau who were now working for the Government. The capture of Kimathi would have been nearly impossible without their knowledge and skills because of the vast areas of rough terrain which hid the Mau Mau and Kimathi. His capture was beyond the ability of the regular forces in this region and he had a legendary and almost supernatural ability to evade capture.

His reputation as the leading fighter for Kenyan freedom remains today, and a bronze statue of "Freedom Fighter Dedan Kimathi" on a graphite plinth has been erected in central Nairobi.

Early life

Kimathi was born in Thegenge Village Tetu division, Nyeri District. At the age of fifteen, he joined the local primary school, Karuna-ini, where he perfected his English skills. He would later use those language skills to write extensively before and during the uprising. He was a Debate Club member in his school. He was deeply religious and carried a Bible regularly. He worked for the forest department collecting tree seeds to help him foot his school bill. He later joined Tumutumu CMS School for his secondary learning, but dropped out for lack of funds.

He dabbled with several jobs but never felt fully settled. Notable was his enlisting with the army to fight in the Second World War in 1941. However, in 1944, he was expelled for misconduct. In 1946, he became a member of the Kenya African Union. In 1949, he started teaching at his old school Tumutumu, but left the job within two years.

Mau Mau movement

Nevertheless, he managed to be very influential to whomever he met through the string of jobs he was able to obtain. He became radically political in 1950. He involved himself with the Mau Mau, and later that year administered the oath of the Mau Mau, making him a marked man to the colonial government. He joined Forty Group, the militant wing of the defunct Kikuyu Central Association in 1951. He was elected as a local branch secretary of KAU in Ol' Kalou and Thomson's Falls area in 1952. he was briefly arrested in that same year, but escaped with the help of local police. This marked the beginning of his violent uprising. He formed Kenya Defence Council to co-ordinate all forest fighters in 1953.

In 1956, he was finally arrested with one of his wives, Wambui. He was sentenced to death by a court presided by Chief Justice Sir Kenneth O'Connor, while he was in a hospital bed at the General Hospital Nyeri. In the early morning of 18 February 1957 he was executed by the colonial government. The hanging took place at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison . He was buried in an unmarked grave, and his burial site remains unknown.

Legacy

Kimathi is viewed by many Kenyans as a national hero. Many towns in Kenya have a building or street named after him. On 18 February 2007, on the anniversary of the day he was executed, a bronze statue of Kimathi was unveiled in Nairobi city centre. Kimathi, clad in military regalia, holds a rifle on the right hand and a dagger on the other, symbolizing the last weapons he held in his struggle.

The Dedan Kimathi Stadium in Nyeri was renamed after him, it was formerly known as Kamukunji Grounds .

Kimathi was married to Mukami Kimathi. Among their children are sons Wachiuri and Maina and daughters Nyawira and Wanjugu .

Further reading

• Henderson, Ian (1958). The Hunt for Kimathi. London: Hamish Hamilton. OCLC: 272575. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Daily Nation: Villagers' fond memories of Mau Mau hero Kimathi
• Kenya Times: Did Kimathi die in vain?
• A conversation with insurgents who had fought alongside Dedan Kimathi
• Kimathi's life
• Dedan Kimathi's background (article in the middle of the page)
• Some observations
• A brief discussion of the uprising
• Report from Kenya