Explain six effects of Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.

- It made it clear to constitutional planners that Africans wanted majority rule in Kenya.
- It proved to the colonial government in Kenya that they were unable to control the internal situation .Troops and money had come from Britain to suppress the mau mau. Hence the responsibility for permanent settlement now rested with Britain.
- Over $50 million were drained from Britain and Kenya to support the uprising.
- Many people died in the war e.g. 10,000 mau mau men, 2,000 civilian African, 1,000 government troops and 50,000 Europeans and Asians civilian s died.
- Tens of thousands of Africans were herded into reserves and detention camps. Thousands of prisoners suffered harsh treatment.
- People lived for 10 years in fear for their lives. Villages, Clans and families were divided into loyalists and mau mau supporters.
- It forced the government of the British to change the constitution to improve African life e .g 1957, eight Africans were elected to legislative council. The swynnarton plan was effected to give titles of land to Africans .Africans were allowed for the first time to grow cash crops.
- Mau mau forced independence to come.

OR

- Many Africans were arrested and detained.
- Banning of political parties.
- Establishment of emergency villages to separate the civil society from the fighters.
- Led to the declaration of the state of emergency in Kenya in 1952.
- Created bitterness among the Kikuyu as they were divided into loyalists and fighters.
- Attracted the attention of the British colonialists and the international community.
- The powers and the influence of the settlers was reduced since it was this cause of African
bitterness.
- Land reforms were adopted e.g land consolidation
- Political reforms were introduced.

OR

a) Many people died as a result of the war. The official number of Kenyans killed was estimated at
11,503 by British sources. More than 1,800 Kenyan civilians and 32 British civilians were killed by
Mau Mau militants.
b) The war attracted the attention of British citizens and international community to the crimes
committed by the colonial administration. British forces committed widespread human rights abuses,
including rape, torture and castration.
c) Many Africans were arrested and detained while thousands were seriously injured during the
interrogations. For example, 11 of the 88 detainees at Hola Camp lost their lives as the rest were
seriously injured in brutality incident.
d) The war speeded up the march to independence especially when the realty of the inability of the
colonial administration to govern kenya dawned on the British government
e) The uprising led to destruction of property. Villages, houses and crops were burned down.
f) The war led to the relocation of the Agikuyu, Ameru and Aembu communities from Nairobi region
as their jobs were taken by people from western and rift valley who did not participate in the rebellion.
g) The uprising led to the reduction of the influence of the settlers in Kenya as it was realized that it
was the enormous settler influence that was responsible for the insurgence.
h) The war forced the colonial authority to apply tough measures to restrict the activities of African
political parties such as KAU that was banned in 1952.
i) The war led to the beginning of a program of villagization and land reform consolidated the land
holdings of the Kikuyu, thereby creating emergency kikuyu villages in various parts of the country.
j) It led to the declaration of a state of emergence in Kenya on 20th October 1952.
k) The war bred bitterness among members of Agikuyu Aembu and Ameru where some were
government loyalists while others were Mau Mau supporters.
l) The war resulted into the land reform measures that came to be known as the Swynnerton Plan of
1954 that sparked off the resettlement of Africans in the countryside.

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gideon1 answered the question on September 30, 2017 at 08:48