How Meru, Kikuyu and Embu Paid the Price for Kenya’s Independence
The Mau Mau uprising (1952-1960) presented an existential threat to British colonial rule. The colonial government’s response was brutal and multifaceted: military operations, detention camps, and villagization. But perhaps one of the most insidious strategies was economic warfare. A special tax was imposed solely on the residents of the so-called “emergency areas”—primarily the Meru, Kikuyu and … Read more