Happy Independence Day Kenya

Kenya gained its independence from Britain on Dec. 12, 1963. Britain’s Union Jack was replaced by the black, red and green flag of the new states. Kenya was Britain’s last East African colonial holding.

The road to independence began in the 1950s with the Mau Mau Rebellion. The Mau Mau movement was a militant African nationalist group that opposed British colonial rule and its exploitation of the native population.

Mau Mau members, made up primarily of Kikuyu (the largest ethnic group in Kenya), carried out violent attacks against colonial leaders and white settlers. In 1952, the colonial government declared a state of emergency and arrested many Kenyan independence leaders, including moderates who had little or no connection to the Mau Mau, like Jomo Kenyatta, president of the Kenya African Union.

Between 1952 and 1956, the British defeated the Mau Mau through a brutal campaign of military action and widespread detention of the Kikuyu. However, the Mau Mau Rebellion also persuaded the British that social, political and agrarian reforms were necessary. In 1957, the British allowed for the first direct elections of native leaders to the Legislative Council and by 1960, Africans were a majority in the council…

Today… Kenya is one of the best holiday destinations in Africa!  So special Prince Williams flew Kate all the way to Kenya to propose to Kate Middleton…

Original Source: The Learning Network