Kenyan Independence (1945-1978)

Colonia Kenya

100

This fertile region was reserved exclusively for European settlers.

The White Highlands

200

This tax forced Africans into wage labor because it could only be paid in cash.

The Hut Tax

300

These laws restricted African movement and required Africans to carry identification.

Pass lwas

400

Overcrowded African reserves led to this major structural problem.

Land hunger

500

This railway (1896–1901) opened the interior to settlers and helped Britain secure Kenya.

The Uganda Railway

Rise of Nationalism

100

Founded in 1944, this was Kenya’s first major African political party.

The Kenya African Union (KAU).

200

He became president of KAU in 1947 and later led Kenya to independence.

Jomo Kenyatta

300

KAU used this nonviolent method to push for reform.

Petitions, speeches, and legal appeals.

400

KAU failed largely because this group blocked reforms in the Legislative Council.

White settlers

500

KAU’s failure pushed many young Kikuyu toward this militant movement.

Mau Mau

Mau Mau Uprising

100

Mau Mau was primarily a movement of this ethnic group.

Kikuyu

200

This slogan captured Mau Mau’s core demands.

"Land and freedom"

300

Oaths created unity, secrecy, and this type of moral obligation.

Commitment to resist colonial rule.

400

Mau Mau fighters operated mainly in these two forest regions.

The Aberdares and Mount Kenya.

500

This group—poor tenants living on settler farms—formed the backbone of Mau Mau support.

Squatters

The Emergency and British Response

100

This colonial governor declared the State of Emergency in 1952.

Evelyn Baring

200

This nationalist leader was arrested and accused of Mau Mau ties.

Jomo Kenyatta

300

These facilities held thousands of suspected Mau Mau supporters.

Detention camps

400

This policy forced rural Africans into fortified villages.

Villagization

500

British propaganda portrayed Mau Mau as this, rather than a nationalist movement.

Criminal disorder / savagery

Independence & Post‑Colonial Kenya

100

These conferences in London laid the groundwork for independence.

The Lancaster House Conferences

200

Kenya achieved independence on this date. (Year is fine)

December 12, 1963.

300

This party, led by Kenyatta, dominated early post‑independence politics.

KANU (Kenya African National Union)

400

This major colonial problem remained unresolved after independence.

Land inequality

500

Kenyatta’s government increasingly relied on this political tool to maintain power.

Patronage networks