Evidence for
- Kapenguria trail and jail time: It seems strange that despite being recognised as the supposed leader of Mau Mau, Kenyatta was given a fairly comfortable jail term on strange inept and so obviously trumped up charges. Dedan Kimathi on the hand was hanged without much ceremony. Could it be the case that Kamau was a sleeper who was to go to jail so as to emerge a Kenyan hero fit to be president? The man was married to an English lady was fully anglicised. He would take of British commercial interests, protect Brits wanting to continue living here and would be anti-communist.
- Mau Mau: for someone who was apparently a freedom fighter, his treatment of the Mau Mau was abhorrent. It is notable that he never ever recognised the group say in the way he even recognised the Nyakinuyua dancers that used to entertain him. He never ever once invited General China (who he at least gave a job) or any of other to join him on Uhuru day. He of course gave them so many days to come out of forest before pursuing the same. It wasn't until one of his mentors became president that Kenya honoured Dedan Kimathi.
- Coexisting: Bruce Mackenzie who was a M16 agent was given command of Agriculture one of the most important ministries at the time. After Finance, and possibly constitutional affairs, getting Kenya's agriculture moving was seen as key to its growth as an economy.
Against this:
- no smoking gun: in this case, one would expect to see some mention of Kenyatta in the British records. In a similar manner to the Mckenzie dude.
3 comments:
Maina, I think Jomo was a politician. A Kenyan one, too.
"Against:"
Actually, this argument is superflous. The absence of evidence can never be evidence. "Nothing" cannot prove "something." Whether Mckenzie was shown to be an agent, has no bearing on whther kenyatta was, or was not himself.
Confirmation (of his status) is entirely separate evidence from his status.
Lunatichigh-Mckenzie was the Agriculture minister at a pretty key time in Kenya's independence. He was latter Jomo's foreign affairs advisor. It follows that since there is a lot of evidence around his being an M16 agent, somebody would ask the next obvious question. Was it known that he was? If it was known, was it a case of work colleagues governing Kenya.Do you have any evidence that Kenyatta was or wasn't a UK spy?
This is not an academic post. Resolving the land issue from Kenyatta's benefit from it would be helped if we discovered such evidence. I shall trot to the UK National archives at some pt.
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