ABSTRACT
The Mau Mau rebellion stands at the centerpiece of the historiography of modern Kenya. The Kenya government’a initial response to Mau Mau was primarily military and security oriented. Political strategy continued to respond to a number of potentially divergent sets of imperatives: control needs, accumulation needs, the evolution toward self-government, and political demands, particularly from collaborating groups. The political themes of the multi-racial strategy were thus rather intricate as they related to both Africans and the settlers, but mark a major shift from the 1945–52 period. As regards the political evolution of Kenya toward self-government, the multi-racial strategy was based on a determination to create an alternative to both white supremacy and African nationalism. The political ambiguity and the fence-sitting concerning the future evolution of Kenya which characterized the multi-racial approach had served an important purpose since 1954. The Mau Mau insurgency had been decisively defeated and colonial control restored.
