Introduction

There often comes a point in time when a colony reaches its “breaking point”; the moment at which impassioned, strong-willed, tenacious leaders arise and pledge to end the oppression and exploitation of their followers.  Over the course of history, colonies around the world have reached the pinnacle of their ire against their colonizers, and pursued varying methods of ending their foreign domination.  Before the mid-1900s, global “powerhouses”, such as Britain, focused heavily on their imperial agendas and snatched any piece of weakly inhabited land that seemed promising.  However, by 1945, a domino chain of colonies were beginning to slip away from the established European hegemony, determined to prove to the world that they were self-reliant and could manage their own affairs.  At the same time, they could avoid economic exploitation and political manipulation that they had previously faced under their colonizers.

Jomo Kenyatta

            Kenya’s decolonization process was fairly unique, as its leader, Jomo Kenyatta, acted as both a martyr amid rebellious violence and, ironically, an oppressor after he had driven the British out of his country.  Jomo Kenyatta is perhaps the most influential individual associated with Kenya’s independence, but a group composed of Kikuyu, the largest ethic group in Kenya, instigated what became known as the Mau Mau rebellion to instill the realization in the British that Kenya would no longer tolerate imperial rule.  Though the Mau Mau was violent and took thousands of lives, it carried out an imperative operation that would eventually allow Kenyans to truly be free.

            However, Kenya’s independence would promise instability for the new nation.  Citizens would be plagued with the burdens of a corrupt, biased administration.  In following years, extreme poverty would counterbalance the benefits of a moderately more steady government.  However, despite the hardships that came with independence, Kenya is gradually beginning to develop a more modern, sophisticated political and economic structure on which it can participate in global activities and hopefully provide a better quality of life for its citizens in the future.