The Mau Mau Emergency, 1952–60

On 20 October 1952 Kenya's governor declared a State of Emergency and arrested Kenyatta and other leaders. Although evidence linking Kenyatta to Mau Mau was weak, he was convicted in 1953 and imprisoned. Mau Mau fighters, based in the forests of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya, attacked settler farms and especially Africans seen as loyalists; at Lari in March 1953 they killed dozens of civilians, followed by reprisals. Britain responded with a large military campaign and mass detention.

Tens of thousands of Kikuyu were held in camps, often in harsh conditions that included forced labor and abuse, and around a million were moved into guarded villages. In March 1959 eleven detainees were beaten to death at Hola camp, causing outrage in Britain. Official figures recorded over 11,000 Mau Mau fighters killed, while 32 European settlers died. In 2013 the British government expressed regret and paid compensation to over 5,000 elderly Kenyan victims of abuse.