This Day in African History – Jomo Kenyatta Arrested

Following the assassination of Chief Waruhui (he was speared to death in broad daylight on a main road on the outskirts of Nairobi) and a month of open hostility, the British authorities in Kenya are finally reacting to the Mau Mau Rebellion. On 21 October 1952 a State of Emergency was declared, the Mau Mau were named as terrorists, and on the following day Jomo Kenyatta, the president of the Kenya Africa Union, was arrested for alleged Mau Mau involvement.

Kenyatta was charged with managing the Mau Mau society in Kenya and held incommunicado at a remote district station of Kapenguria (no telephone or rail connections). On 8 April 1953 Jomo Kenyatta was sentenced to seven years hard labor.

More on the Mau Mau Rebellion
• Timeline: Mau Mau Rebellion

More on Jomo Kenyatta
• Jomo Kenyatta Biography
• Jomo Kenyatta Quotes