Reviews for Defeating Mau Mau, Creating Kenya: Counterinsurgency, Civil War, and Decolonization

The average rating for Defeating Mau Mau, Creating Kenya: Counterinsurgency, Civil War, and Decolonization based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-10-16 00:00:00 Charles Rainey Daniel Branch, professor of African History at the University of Warwick, has become one of my favorite writers on the history of Kenya. Believe it or not, it's a highly enjoyable read, making complex issues understandable, and couching larger themes in terrific narratives. This book looks at the often ignored dynamic at play in those Africans who chose to fight with the British (the "loyalists") against their fellow African Mau Mau fighters. This book is a must read for classes on the history of Kenya and Kenya's pre-independence fighting - but is one I strongly recommend to anyone interested in the dynamics of violence in Kenya and East Africa.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-05-30 00:00:00 Erma Davis Branch seeks to add another layer to understanding of the Mau Mau conflict by focusing on the importance of "loyalist" or those Kikuyu who were not part of Mau Mau. The interaction of local politics with the colonial govts response to Mau Mau created rifts in Kikuyu society and a redistribution of resources in Central Kenya that affected the eventual shape of postcolonial law and economy and that is still affecting Kenyan politics today.