The Agrarian Origins of Mau Mau: a Structural Account
The Agrarian Origins of Mau Mau: A Structural Account The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bates, Robert H. 1987. The agrarian origins of Mau Mau: a structural account. Agricultural History 61, no. 1: 1-28. Published Version http://www.jstor.org/stable/3743915 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3710306 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Agrarian Origins of Mau Mau: A StructuralAccount ROBERT H. BATES Unlike most African nations, Kenya came to in- dependence as a result of armed conflict. The insurrectionwas known as the Mau Mau rebellion. If a date is to be placed on the beginning of Mau Mau, it should probably be 1944, when political leaders in the Central Province began to organize a clandestine movement. The organizational device was an oath which bound those who pledged it to the support of the movement. If a date is to be placed on the outbreak of violence, it should probably be October 7, 1952. On that day, members of the move- ment assassinated Senior Chief Waruhiu as he returned from an official visit to the central offices of the government in Nairobi. In response, the Governor of Kenya declared a state of emergency, banned the majorAfri- can political organizations, and detained their leaders.
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