Mau Mau, << MOW mow, >> was a secret movement formed in Kenya in the late 1940’s to oppose British colonial rule in the country. In the summer of 1952, Mau Mau members began attacking British settlements. In October 1952, the British governor of Kenya declared a state of emergency, and British forces fought and detained thousands of suspected Mau Mau leaders, members, and sympathizers. In April 1953, Jomo Kenyatta and other leaders of the Kikuyu ethnic group were convicted of involvement in the Mau Mau movement and imprisoned until 1961. By the time the violence ended in 1956, more than 13,000 people, mostly Kenyans, had died. In 1963, Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom. Kenyatta became Kenya’s first native-born leader as prime minister.
In 2013, after many years of lawsuits, the British government announced an out-of-court settlement with Kenyans who had been abused by colonial authorities during the uprising. The British government agreed to pay some 20 million pounds ($30 million) in compensation to more than 5,000 Kenyans who had been tortured or otherwise mistreated.
