Dedan Kimathi

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Dedan Kimathi (born October 31, 1920 in Nyeri District , † February 18, 1957 in Nairobi ) was a Kenyan rebel leader in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, which was under the rule of the British crown at that time. He was accused of terrorism and hanged by the British colonial government. However, some see and see in him a freedom fighter.

Life

Adolescence

At the age of 15 he attended the local elementary school in Karuna-ini and developed his English skills there. He was later able to use this language skills to write extensively before and during the Mau Mau uprising. Kimathi was also a member of the Debating Club at his school. He was strictly religious at the time and regularly carried a Bible with him. During his work as an employee of the Forestry Department , he collected tree seeds in order to be able to pay the school costs with the sale. He later enrolled at the Tumutumu CSM School, a secondary school, but had to leave it again due to lack of money.

He tried several professions, but was nowhere completely comfortable. In 1941 he enlisted in the army to fight in World War II . In 1944, however, he was prematurely discharged from the army for improper conduct. In 1946 he became a member of a political association, the Kenyan African Union (KAU). In 1949, he began teaching at his old school, but was fired on allegations of rape.

Political commitment

Kimathi had a large circle of acquaintances due to the many activities that he carried out and, thanks to his linguistic skills, managed to inspire many people politically. From 1950 he devoted himself entirely to politics and joined the Mau Mau movement. In the same year he took the famous oath that irrevocably bound him (and everyone else who had taken the oath) to the movement. In 1951 he joined the Forty Group , a combative offshoot of the KAU. He was elected as the regional director of the KAU in Ol'Kaloi and Thomson's Fall area. He was detained shortly afterwards, but was able to escape with the help of the local police. This marked the beginning of his violent uprising. In 1953 he founded the Kenya Defense Council to coordinate all forest fighters ("jungle warriors") and carried the somewhat lofty title of "field marshal". In 1956 he was finally arrested and imprisoned with one of his wives, Wambui. While he was still in the hospital, the General Hospital in Nyeri , he was sentenced to death by a court presided over by Chief Justice Kenneth O'Connor . In the early morning of 18 February 1957, he was by the colonial government by the train executed .

Legacies

Statue of Kimathi in Nairobi

Kimathi was buried in a mass grave. It was not possible for the new government under Mwai Kibaki - in spite of several witnesses - to find and excavate Kimathi's bones. He is considered a national hero by many Kenyans. This is mainly supported by the fact that in many cities in Kenya there is a street or building that is named after him. In December 2006, in the presence of his wife and children, the foundation stone for a memorial was laid in the center of Nairobi near Kimathi Street. The memorial was completed on February 18, 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. It was made out of bronze by Francis Kaguru and Mwaura Ndekere , two professors at Kenyatta University's Art Faculty .

The play " Trial of Dedan Kimathi - The Trial of Dedan Kimathi " was written by Ng Brudergĩ wa Thiong'o , the brother of a Mau Mau member, and contains a detailed description of Kimathi.