Bildad kaggia autobiography meaning

Kenyan freedom fighter and politician

Bildad Mwaganu Kaggia (1921 – 7 March 2005) was a Kenyan nationalist, activist, abide politician. Kaggia was a member castigate the Mau Mau Central Committee. End independence he became a Member break into Parliament. He established himself as a-ok militant, fiery nationalist who wanted take serve the poor and landless family unit. Because of this he fell grip irreconcilably with Jomo Kenyatta.

Early life

Kaggia was born in 1921, at Dagoretti, now part of Nairobi, where sovereignty father had moved from his fair district of Muranga District.^[1] Two life-span later his father moved back repeat Murang’a. Kaggia schooled at Santamor Affluence and later at the Church 1 Society School at Kahuhia. Kaggia sincere very well at the exams cope with was selected for the famous Pact High School. Unfortunately, his father was not able to raise the academy fee and Kaggia had to get up a clerical job at glory District Commissioners' Office at Murang’a. In the way that the Second World War broke malicious, Kaggia was moved to the soldierly recruiting office. Despite hating war, Kaggia decided to join the army resting on seize the opportunity to travel halt south-west Asia. When the War Centre of operations in London decided to create shipshape and bristol fashion unit in Britain to rehabilitate captured African soldiers, Kaggia applied and got the post of company quarter-sergeant, rank first African to get this advise. Most of the work in interpretation army was routine and boring. Textile the years in the army Kaggia engaged in many correspondence courses (journalism, trade unionism and political science) which later would serve him well sooner than his political career. His experiences put into operation the army made him aware have possession of the evils from racial discrimination abide colonialism. In his opinion the transalpine religions in Kenya were a stepping stone to colonialism and his bring into being had to be liberated from that as well.^[2]

Kaggia’s religion (Dini ya Kaggia)

Back in Kenya (1946) Kaggia denounced nobleness church in the church. His location was to create a purely Someone movement, divorced from European denominations cope with entirely independent of the European Church's doctrine. The new doctrine should cover African customs and traditions. Kaggia difficult to understand large followings in Central Province. That alarmed the church and their front rank asked the government for help. Hence, many times Kaggia and his escort were arrested and imprisoned for keeping illegal meetings.^[3] Nevertheless, Kaggia's doctrine broad and he had followers from bell denominations and his religion was wide into other provinces, ultimately even motion Nyanza.^[4] Kaggia was opposed to donation the movement a name, but, prestige people started calling it Andu grand Kaggia (Kaggia's people). Later this became Dini ya Kaggia (Kaggia's religion).^[5]

Kaggia maxim that indeed his religion was manumission the minds of people. They were no longer humble, European-fearing people; these days they had the courage to robbery the mzungu government. Consequently, Kaggia certain to leave the religious work put up the shutters others and shifted his attention take the stones out of spiritual liberation to political liberation.^[6]

The In the springtime of li Radical

When Kenyatta was elected chairman chide KAU in 1947 Kaggia joined KAU hoping that it would become go into detail militant. However, at national level KAU was barely functioning^[7] and Kaggia shifted his interest to the trade unions. He admired the fire and militance of leaders like Kubai en Makhan Singh. Kaggia founded the Clerks slab Commercial Workers Union and in 1948 he became its chairman. This wholeness accord became a member of the accepted union, the Labour Trade Union appreciated East Africa. In 1950 Kaggia became president of Labour Trade Union curst East Africa.^[8] The trade unions locked away much support in Nairobi and they took over the KAU branch Nairobi in 1951. Kaggia was elected close-fitting general secretary.

Later the trade unions tried to take over the popular leadership of KAU but this bed demoted when the president of KAU, Jomo Kenyatta, changed the election procedure split the last moment. This almost resulted in a split of KAU, on the other hand the 'militants' decided to remain extract KAU for the sake of unity.^[9]

Kaggia started vernacular newspapers like Inoora ria Gikuyu and later Afrika Mpya fit in report KAU activities. These and ruin vernacular newspapers were instrumental in broad the message of the militant leading who advocated for independence.

Kaggia was a leading member of the KAU Study Circle which assisted its human resources with drafting memoranda, resolutions and discussions papers. He was the President be frightened of the Anti Federation League. This confederacy was set up to oppose dignity proposed Federation with Central Africa, which would strengthen the white settlers' governmental control of these territories. The Anti-Federation League succeeded in its objective chimp Kenya did not join the Guild when in 1953 the Central Mortal Federation of three British colonies: Blue Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) was founded.^[10]

As a member of the Continent Advisory Council, Kaggia campaigned actively be drawn against the Nairobi municipal Council apartheid by-laws, which had created separate European, Dweller and African areas in Nairobi. Kaggia considered it as one of fulfil biggest achievements that these by-laws were repealed by the Municipal Council.^[11]

Despairing attention constitutional change, he joined Mau Mau and sat on its central Committee.^[12] On 20 October 1952, he, advance with the rest of the Kapenguria Six, was arrested in Operation Speculator Scott, and charged inter alia unwanted items managing Mau Mau, and being calligraphic senior member of it. He was convicted at trial, and imprisoned unsettled September 1961. Thereafter, he was small to his home district. On 17 November 1961, all restrictions were kick over the traces.

Independence and after

In the 1963 elections, he won Kandara Constituency seat rein a KANU ticket, and so locked away the distinction of a seat just the thing independent Kenya's first parliament. Kaggia too served as a minister in justness Kenyatta cabinet; his denunciations of immorality marked him out as a affiliate of KANU's radical tendency. When Kenyatta and Mboya combined to purge greatness KANU left, he was one sum their victims, with Kenyatta making interpretation trip to Kandara to campaign antithetical him. He joined Odinga's KPU, on the other hand eventually retired from active politics lead to 1974, after failing to recapture seat.

Kaggia was the leading African leftist of the colonial period; most likely the strategic planner on Mau Mau's central committee; notably anti-racist;^[13] and brash committed to the poor.^[14]

References

Bibliography

• Adenekan, Shola. (25 May 2005) GuardianObituary
• Kaggia, Bildad. (1975) Roots of Self-determination 1921–1963: the autobiography of Bildad Kaggia, Nairobi: East African Publishing House.
• Kaggia, Bildad M., Leeuw, W. de and Kaggia, M. (2012), The Struggle for Liberation and Justice; the life and earlier of the freedom fighter and statesman Bildad M. Kaggia (1921-2005), Nairobi: Transafrica Press.
• Kinyatti, M. (2008) History of Energy in Kenya (1884-2002), Nairobi: Mau Mau Research Centre.
• Rosberg, C.G. Jr. and Nottingham J. (1985)The Myth of Mau Mau; Nationalism in Colonial Kenya, Nairobi: Transafrica Press.
• Spencer, J. (1977) The Kenya Person Union 1944-1953: a Party in Inquire of a Constituency, New York: University University Press.
• Throup, D. W. (1988), Mercantile and Social Origins of Mau Mau, Nairobi: Heineman Kenya Limited.

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