🇰🇪 The East African Association 🇹🇿 🇺🇬

Pioneering Pan-African Resistance in Colonial Kenya

1921-1922 Political Movement Kenyan History

🌍 Introduction to the EAA

The East African Association (EAA) was the first major pan-ethnic political organization in colonial Kenya, pioneering demands for African rights and laying the groundwork for future nationalist movements.

👥

Pan-Ethnic

First multi-ethnic political organization

📢

Protest Movement

Organized resistance against colonial policies

🌱

Foundation

Precursor to Kenyan independence movement

📅 Historical Timeline

1921

Founded as Young Kikuyu Association (YKA)

July 1921

Renamed East African Association (EAA)

March 1922

Harry Thuku arrested, protests turn deadly

After 1922

EAA banned, but legacy continues

🌱 Origins of the Movement

💡

Inspiration

Founded as the Young Kikuyu Association (YKA) in 1921, inspired by Uganda’s Young Buganda Association.

👥

Founding Members

Harry Thuku (leader)
Abdalla Tairara
Mwalimu Hamisi
Muhamed Sheikh

📜 Key Demands of EAA

🏡

Land Rights

Return of alienated African lands to their original owners

💼

Workers’ Rights

Better working conditions, fair wages, and abolition of forced labor

🗳️

Political Reform

Common electoral roll and end to Kenya’s colonial status

📝

Kipande System

Abolition of the oppressive identification system

🏫

Education

More educational facilities for Africans

💰

Taxation

Reduction of taxes and abolition of hut tax

👥 Leadership & Expansion

👑

Harry Thuku

Chairman of EAA

Harry Thuku, a mission-educated telephone operator in Nairobi, led the transformation from YKA to the pan-ethnic East African Association in July 1921.

Other Key Officials:

George Samuel Okoth Jesse Kang’ethe Z.K. Sentongo (Uganda) Maitei ole Mootian (Tanzania) James Mwanthi

🔥 The 1922 Crisis

💥

March 15-16, 1922

⚠️

Harry Thuku was arrested by colonial authorities and detained at Kingsway Police Station (now Nairobi Central Police Station).

👩‍💪

The next day, Muthoni Nyanjiru, a Kikuyu woman, famously challenged African men to action, leading to a protest of over 1,000 people.

⚠️ Tragic Outcome: Police opened fire, killing at least 21 people including Muthoni Nyanjiru.

Thuku was deported to Kisimayu, while his colleagues Waiganjo and Mugekenji were banished to Lamu. The EAA was banned.

🌍 Consequences & Legacy

1️⃣

Radicalized Movements

Successor parties adopted more radical approaches against colonial “Iron Rule”

2️⃣

Governor Recalled

Governor Edward Northey was recalled to London by Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill

3️⃣

Political Restrictions

No countrywide African political associations allowed until 1945

4️⃣

Thuku’s Legacy

Became the undisputed flag-bearer of Kenyan nationalism

🔑 Key Takeaways

✅

First major pan-ethnic political organization in colonial Kenya

✅

Pioneered demands for land rights, fair labor practices, and political representation

✅

Marked a shift from loyalist petitions to more assertive demands

✅

1922 crackdown showed colonial government’s intolerance for organized resistance

✅

Laid groundwork for future nationalist movements

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The East African Association (EAA)