Classes and Class Struggle in Kenya
Classes and Class Struggle in Kenya

Author: Maina Wa Kinyatti

Publisher:

Published: 2009-11-06

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 9781439263051

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CLASS STRUGGLE IN KENYATo understand social class in a society we should begin by making a scientific analysis of what certain groups or strata will or will not do, what they will or will not support, based upon our knowledge of their class background, interests, ideas and practices. An understanding of class forces in Kenya will lead to the conclusion that Kenya is a neocolonial, capitalist state with its base in imperialism. Further, it will tell Kenyans and the progressive world that under the capitalist system certain classes exist, each with a clear role in the production and maintenance or the destruction of capitalism, its political and military forces.Kenyan society is divided into five distinct socio-economic classes, and they are: a) the bourgeoisie, b) the proletariat, c) the lumpen-proletariat, d) the peasantry, e) the pastoralists. The Kenyan bourgeois class includes Africans, Europeans and Asia and consists of four main strata: 1) the imperialist bourgeoisie, 2)the comprador bourgeoisie, 3)the nationalist bourgeoisie and 4) the petty-bourgeoisie. all of them, with the possible exception of lower echelons of the petty-bourgeoisie, are exploiters of the working class people.Presently, the comprador bourgeoisie, though numerically small (1% of the population), is the ruling class in Kenya. it is the upholder of the capitalist mode of production. Its basic characteristics are that it lives on its parasitic connection with world imperialism, serving it faithfully in all social spheres. It has accumulated the most capital locally in its role as junior partner of world imperialism.Some members of this class, including the President of the Republic, cabinet ministers, members of parliament and judiciary, have unlimited accounts in swiss banks and other imperialist, capitalist shelters. Morally and intellectually, the comprador class is bankrupt and corrupt.In conclusion, this book aims at defining the class forces in Kenya as well as providing some directions in defining who is an ally and who is opposing the national democratic revolution, either overtly or through underhanded deversions and intrigues. Those Kenyans who see the necessity for a revolutionary change in the country must first deal with the fundamental question: "Who are the class enemy and who are the real friends of the Kenyan working class people?" or "the question potential enemies, or potential friends". What segment of population will be the major political force in the struggle for a national democratic revolution?

The Kenya Socialist
The Kenya Socialist

Author: Durrani, Shiraz

Publisher: Vita Books

Published: 2019-10-22

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13: 996613381X

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The Kenya Socialist exists to: Promote socialist ideas, experiences and world outlook; Increase awareness of classes, class contradictions and class struggles in Kenya, both historical and current; Expose the damage done by capitalism and imperialism in Kenya and Africa; Offer solidarity to working class, peasants and other working people and communities in their struggles for equality and justice; Promote internationalism and work in solidarity with people in Africa and around the world in their resistance to imperialism; Make explicit the politics of information and communication as tools of repression and also of resistance in Kenya. This first issue covers several areas that remain neglected in public discourse in Kenya. The study of class remains one such topic and Kimani Waweru’s article, Class and Class Struggle in Kenya, fills this gap. Waweru also contributes a briefing on ideology as a weapon of oppression or liberation. He will continue his theoretical explorations in the next issue with an article on gender and women’s oppression and liberation. History is never far from any liberation struggle. Nicholas Mwangi looks at Mau Mau and the origin and meaning of the term ‘Mau Mau’. Njoki Wamai’s contribution is her presentation at the All African Peoples’ Conference in Accra in 2018. Linking up with the launch of the Ukombozi Library, the question arises, ‘What is the role of information in liberation?’ Shiraz Durrani answers some question from Julian Jaravata on various aspects of information. Finally, Durrani looks at the challenge by Wakamba wood carvers to the information embargo under President Moi.

Trade Unions in Kenya's War of Independence
Trade Unions in Kenya's War of Independence

Author: Durrani, Shiraz

Publisher: Vita Books

Published: 2018-08-03

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 9966189092

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It is due to the success of the trade union movement in the national liberation movement that the colonial government suppressed prominent trade unions and attacked TU leaders like Makhan Singh, Fred Kubai, Pio Gama Pinto and Bildad Kaggia. It also passed on colonial laws to the independent Kenya government so as to ensure that future trade unions were forced to take the non-radical approach to meet worker needs. They thus created imperialist-oriented and led trade unions that bedevil working class politics to this day. There are valuable lessons to be learnt from the history of the militant trade unions in Kenya and also from understanding how colonialism and imperialism enforced changes that made the trade unions ineffective after independence. The selections in this book recall relevant events in the history of the militant trade union movement in Kenya and record the contribution that the trade union movement made to Mau Mau and to Kenya’s war of independence. The Kenya Resists Series covers different aspects of resistance by people of Kenya to colonialism and imperialism. It reproduces material from books, unpublished reports, research and oral or visual testimonies. The three aspects chosen for the first three publications in the Series – Mau Mau, Trade Unions and People’s Resistance – make up the three pillars of resistance of the people of Kenya.

Kenyas Past as Prologue
Kenyas Past as Prologue

Author: Marie-Aude Fouere

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2015-06-16

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 9966028528

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During the run-up to Kenyas 2013 general elections, crucial political and civic questions were raised. Could past mistakes, especially political and ethnic-related violence, be avoided this time round? Would the spectre of the 2007 post-electoral violence positively or negatively affect debates and voting? How would politicians, electoral bodies such as the IEBC, the Kenyan civil society, and the international community weigh in on the elections? More generally, would the 2013 elections bear witness to the building up of an electoral culture in Kenya, characterized by free and fair elections, or would it show that voting is still weakened by political malpractices, partisan opinions and emotional reactions? Would Kenyas past be inescapable or would it prepare the scene for a new political order? Kenyas Past as Prologue adopts a multidisciplinary perspective mainly built upon field-based ethnography and a selection of case studies to answer these questions. Under the leadership of the French Institute for Research in Africa (Institut francais de recherche en Afrique, IFRA), political scientists, historians and anthropologists explore various aspects of the electoral process to contribute in-depth analyses of the last elections. They highlight the structural factors underlying election and voting in Kenya including the political system, culture and political transition. They also interrogate the short-term trends and issues that influence the new political order. The book provides insight into specific case studies, situations and contexts, thus bringing nuances and diversity into focus to better assess Kenyas evolving electoral democracy.

Devil on the Cross
Devil on the Cross

Author: Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Publisher: Heinemann

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780435908447

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Devil on the Cross tells the tragic story of Wariinga, a young woman who emigrated from her small rural town to the city of Nairobi only to be exploited by her boss and later a corrupt businessman.

History of Resistance in Kenya 1884-2002
History of Resistance in Kenya 1884-2002

Author: Kinyatti, Maina wa

Publisher: Mau Mau Research Centre (MMRC)

Published: 2019-10-05

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1867886154

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This book is a contribution to the interpretation of Kenyan history, from the proletarian point of view. The book provides information on the people of Kenya; their history; their violent, brutal and deadly confrontation with the British imperialist invaders; their social and politicial struggle against the British occupiers and the national traitors; their transformation into the Mau Mau armed resistance; and their class struggle and revolutionary movement against the Kenyata and Moi neocolonial regimes. During dictator Moi’s administration, the country was turned into a police state and the brutal torture of citizens became commonplace. Whatever form of torture one was subjected to, it inevitably led to either imprisonment or death. In vigorous language and with concrete examples, the author details the crucial role played by the Mwakenya-December Twelve Movement in the struggle against the Kenyata-Moi dictatorships for democracy and social justice in Kenya, from 1975 to 2002.

From Divided Pasts to Cohesive Futures
From Divided Pasts to Cohesive Futures

Author: Hiroyuki Hino

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-08-22

Total Pages: 469

ISBN-13: 1108476600

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Offers an insightful yet readable study of the paths - and challenges - to social cohesion in Africa, by experienced historians, economists and political scientists.

A Struggle of sixty-two days
A Struggle of sixty-two days

Author: Shiraz Durrani

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2024-02-14

Total Pages: 133

ISBN-13: 9914970125

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The Annual General Meeting of the Labour Trade Union of Kenya in Sept 1936 fixed Oct 1936 for implementation of the eight-hour day .. In December 1936, the Union gave notices to employers that all wages should be increased by 25% from April 1937. The strike began on 1 April, 1937. It was a complete strike. A strike-committee was formed, picketing was organised, a free kitchen was started .. the decision was popularised through handbills, meetings in residential areas, works-discussions and public announcements (preceded by ringing of a large bell), in the the main thoroughfares of Nairobi, and daily mass meetings. The campaign created a new spirit among workers. The employers were at last compelled to reach a settlement. They agreed to wage-increase of 15-22%, to an eight-hour day and reinstatement of all workers. The workers resumed work on 2 June, 1937. - Makhan Singh (1969) Thus ended the longest, and the most successful, strike in the history of Kenya. But the sacrifices, the actions and the reality of the strike for workers is not captured by history books. Nor are the organisation by the East African Trade Union Congress and the role of its leader, Makhan Singh, fully understood. In going on strike for sixty-two days, the workers showed their industrial and political power, unmatched to this day. Shiraz Durrani's A Struggle of Sixty-Two Days is a welcome addition to a growing backlist of drama texts that draw on the rich and often hidden history of East Africa. A Struggle of Sixty-Two-Days sets itself apart from the tradition of historical plays before it by eschewing the use of a singular heroic figure to centre the drama. Instead, the play deliberately delivers the texture of the lived realities, skills and experiences of the workers who made a success of the longest and most consequential strike in the country's history, but also acknowledges the collaboration and support they drew from the people against the backdrop of the imperialist, racist and colonial era The 1937 strike would not only deliver an eight-hour working day as a right, besides wage increases, but would also be the seeding for mobilising the people of Kenya to challenge injustice and launch the fight for freedom. It is a struggle that pits the might of imperialist capital against the survival instincts of the oppressed and their quest for justice. The scenery and dialogue transport the reader back to 1937, but its echoes still ring true in continuing present-day clashes between labour and exploitative capital. - Kwamchetsi Makokha