Kikuyu Home Guard
Encyclopedia
The Kikuyu Home Guard existed from early 1953 until January 1955. It was formed in response to attacks by the Mau Mau
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) and the private armies which were established by loyalist leaders in the wake of Mau Mau attacks. Clayton calls these early, ad-hoc anti Mau Mau groups the Kikuyu Resistance Groups, which appeared in the last part of 1952. Its creation was an extremely divisive development within Kikuyu society. Its divisive nature was absolutely ensured by Baring's government's tentative desire to give the Home Guard the appearance of being a Kikuyu-led initiative. Officially sanctioned by the colonial government, at its peak, in 1954, the Home Guard numbered more than 25,000 men—more than the number of Mau Mau fighters in the reserves.
Major-General Sir William 'Loony' Hinde put the Home Guard under command of European district officers—these district officers were not trained military personnel, but rather settlers or career, often quite junior, colonial-officers. Hinde recruited Colonel Philip Morcombe to head up the Home Guard. Once set up, it quickly began working alongside the British military. Within a month of the Lari massacre, 20% of the Home Guard were armed with shotguns and given a uniform, and eventually nearly all of them would be supplied with precision weapons of some kind and uniformed.
By 1955 the majority of the Guard were stood down, since Mau Mau no longer constituted a major threat, and the remainder of the guard were absorbed into the Tribal Police.
The Guard also took part in anti-Mau Mau sweeps and local patrolling. Their local knowledge and intimate understanding of the Mau Mau made them very effective in this role. It is estimated that the Tribal Police and the Home Guard were responsible for some 42% of all Mau Mau deaths, making them the most effective branch of the Kenya security forces.
The Tribal Police / Home Guard was behind the capture of the head of the Mau Mau, Dedan Kimathi
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Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
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History of the Home Guard
Named to invoke an association with its British 'equivalent' from WWII, the Home Guard began life as an amalgamation of several hundred Tribal Police (later called the Administration PoliceAdministration Police
Administration Police is a security unit belonging to the government of Kenya. It was formed in 1958 when it took over the Tribal Police Ordinance, which was established 1929.- External links:**...
) and the private armies which were established by loyalist leaders in the wake of Mau Mau attacks. Clayton calls these early, ad-hoc anti Mau Mau groups the Kikuyu Resistance Groups, which appeared in the last part of 1952. Its creation was an extremely divisive development within Kikuyu society. Its divisive nature was absolutely ensured by Baring's government's tentative desire to give the Home Guard the appearance of being a Kikuyu-led initiative. Officially sanctioned by the colonial government, at its peak, in 1954, the Home Guard numbered more than 25,000 men—more than the number of Mau Mau fighters in the reserves.
Major-General Sir William 'Loony' Hinde put the Home Guard under command of European district officers—these district officers were not trained military personnel, but rather settlers or career, often quite junior, colonial-officers. Hinde recruited Colonel Philip Morcombe to head up the Home Guard. Once set up, it quickly began working alongside the British military. Within a month of the Lari massacre, 20% of the Home Guard were armed with shotguns and given a uniform, and eventually nearly all of them would be supplied with precision weapons of some kind and uniformed.
By 1955 the majority of the Guard were stood down, since Mau Mau no longer constituted a major threat, and the remainder of the guard were absorbed into the Tribal Police.
Organisation
As noted above, the Guard was organised by the Kenya Administration, rather than the Army or Police, and Temporary District Officers were appointed to officer the guard. In most cases, individual platoons and sections of the Guard were officered by junior administration officials, such as chiefs and headmen.The Role of the Home Guard
The Guard undertook a variety of mission roles. For the majority of the time, they guarded the fortified villages that had been set up to protect the Kikuyu from the Mau Mau. In the early period of the Guard, it was common for the Mau Mau to over-run these fortified positions because the Guard lacked sufficient firepower to resist their attackers. In due course, as the Guard demonstrated its political and military reliability, the Kenya Government supplied shotguns and rifles to the Guard.The Guard also took part in anti-Mau Mau sweeps and local patrolling. Their local knowledge and intimate understanding of the Mau Mau made them very effective in this role. It is estimated that the Tribal Police and the Home Guard were responsible for some 42% of all Mau Mau deaths, making them the most effective branch of the Kenya security forces.
The Tribal Police / Home Guard was behind the capture of the head of the Mau Mau, Dedan Kimathi
Dedan Kimathi
Dedan Kimathi Waciuri , was a Kenyan rebel leader who fought against the British colonial government in Kenya in the 1950s. He was convicted and executed in 1957 for murder and terrorism....
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