Dedan Kimathi
Dedan Kimathi (
October 31,
1920 –
February 18,
1957) was a
Kenyan who fought against British colonization in Kenya in the 1950s. He was convicted and executed by the
British colonial government for
terrorism. The
British colonial government that ruled Kenya at the time considered him a terrorist, but many
Kikuyu and other Kenyans viewed him as a
freedom fighter of the
Mau Mau Uprising.
Kimathi was born in Thenge 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 CSM 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, but left the job within two years.
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. 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
February 18,
1957 he was executed by the colonial government.
Kimathi was buried in a
mass grave and to this day the British government objects to his reburial as it felt (and continues to feel) that he was a terrorist. He is, however, viewed by many Kenyans especially from his tribe as a national hero. Many towns in Kenya have a building or street named after him.
The play "Trial of Dedan Kimathi" was written by
Ngugi wa Thiong'o (the brother of a Mau Mau member) and provides a detailed account of Kimathi.
*
A conversation with insurgents who had fought alongside Dedan Kimathi*
Daily Nation gives his background*
Kimathi's life*
Dedan Kimathi's background (article in the middle of the page)*
Some observations*
Another interesting article *
A brief discussion of the uprising*
A paper that may open up new leads for those who want to research further
