The Political Crises and Deterioration of Law and Order in Kenya, 1934 -1952

Abstract

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of law and order in colonial Kenya between 1934 and 1952 when the colonial state declared a state of emergency in the colony. This was the period of widespread uprising in many parts of the colony and the collapse of law and order in 1952 must be seen as a culmination of the unrest that had been simmering in the colony for close to two decades before 1952. The paper challenges the historiography of decolonization, which does not link the declaration of Emergency with historical dynamics in other parts of Kenya during the stated period. It is the view of this paper that the roots of the political crisis that set off in 1952 had its foundation in the social economic and political contestations between the colonial government and Africans. Keywords: State of Emergency, Mau Mau, Ordinance.