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Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
MAU MAU AND THE DECOLONISATION OF KENYA
Hilda Nissimi
General History Department, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Abstract
The Mau Mau rebellion surprised the British government in 1952 by its ferocity and its initial success. Although the expectation of a speedy suppression of what appeared to be primitive and atavistic groups without firearms was frustrated, law and order was restored by 1955/6. The duration and protracted effort of the counterinsurgency beg an evaluation of its influence on the fate of Kenya as a colony. Yet, decolonisation did not arrive until nearly a decade later. Hence, the contention over the possible effect of the Mau Mau on the British retreat from Kenya.