Statecraft & Independence
Peerless
Dedan Kimathi
1920 – 1957
Field Marshal of the Mau Mau, hanged by the colonial government
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Kenya Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
He led the armed struggle against British rule and was executed for it. Kenya's independence has two founding stories, and this is the other one.
Dedan Kimathi Waciuri was the senior military and spiritual leader of the Mau Mau uprising, and led the armed struggle against the British colonial regime through the 1950s.
He was captured in 1956 and executed in 1957. He was one of three Field Marshals, with Musa Mwariama and Muthoni Kirima. Kenyan nationalists regard him as the figurehead of the freedom struggle; the colonial government called him a terrorist.
He was captured in 1956 and executed in 1957. He was one of three Field Marshals, with Musa Mwariama and Muthoni Kirima. Kenyan nationalists regard him as the figurehead of the freedom struggle; the colonial government called him a terrorist.
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