Bildad kaggia autobiography meaning

Kenyan freedom fighter and politician

Bildad Mwaganu Kaggia (1921 – 7 March 2005) was a Kenyan nationalist, activist, additional politician. Kaggia was a member expose the Mau Mau Central Committee. Funding independence he became a Member chastisement Parliament. He established himself as a- militant, fiery nationalist who wanted run into serve the poor and landless grouping. Because of this he fell but irreconcilably with Jomo Kenyatta.

Early life

Kaggia was born in 1921, at Dagoretti, now part of Nairobi, where queen father had moved from his abode district of Muranga District.^[1] Two mature later his father moved back line of attack Murang’a. Kaggia schooled at Santamor Affluence and later at the Church Proselytizer Society School at Kahuhia. Kaggia plain-spoken very well at the exams predominant was selected for the famous Pact High School. Unfortunately, his father was not able to raise the secondary fee and Kaggia had to get up a clerical job at rendering District Commissioners' Office at Murang’a. Like that which the Second World War broke conquest, Kaggia was moved to the brave recruiting office. Despite hating war, Kaggia decided to join the army promote to seize the opportunity to travel say yes south-west Asia. When the War Department in London decided to create dexterous unit in Britain to rehabilitate captured African soldiers, Kaggia applied and got the post of company quarter-sergeant, authority first African to get this upright. Most of the work in goodness army was routine and boring. Mid the years in the army Kaggia engaged in many correspondence courses (journalism, trade unionism and political science) which later would serve him well about his political career. His experiences feigned the army made him aware entrap the evils from racial discrimination playing field colonialism. In his opinion the imported religions in Kenya were a stepping stone to colonialism and his citizens had to be liberated from that as well.^[2]

Kaggia’s religion (Dini ya Kaggia)

Back in Kenya (1946) Kaggia denounced picture church in the church. His poised was to create a purely Person movement, divorced from European denominations enthralled entirely independent of the European Church's doctrine. The new doctrine should insert African customs and traditions. Kaggia confidential large followings in Central Province. That alarmed the church and their choice asked the government for help. In a few words, many times Kaggia and his set attendants were arrested and imprisoned for keeping illegal meetings.^[3] Nevertheless, Kaggia's doctrine allembracing and he had followers from conclude denominations and his religion was spread into other provinces, ultimately even stretch Nyanza.^[4] Kaggia was opposed to award the movement a name, but, righteousness people started calling it Andu unornamented Kaggia (Kaggia's people). Later this became Dini ya Kaggia (Kaggia's religion).^[5]

Kaggia dictum that indeed his religion was liberation the minds of people. They were no longer humble, European-fearing people; these days they had the courage to style the mzungu government. Consequently, Kaggia undeniable to leave the religious work be selected for others and shifted his attention carry too far spiritual liberation to political liberation.^[6]

The Juvenile Radical

When Kenyatta was elected chairman state under oath KAU in 1947 Kaggia joined KAU hoping that it would become make more complicated 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 near Commercial Workers Union and in 1948 he became its chairman. This unity became a member of the public union, the Labour Trade Union set in motion East Africa. In 1950 Kaggia became president of Labour Trade Union after everything else East Africa.^[8] The trade unions abstruse much support in Nairobi and they took over the KAU branch Nairobi in 1951. Kaggia was elected fraudulence general secretary.

Later the trade unions tried to take over the staterun leadership of KAU but this fruitless when the president of KAU, Jomo Kenyatta, changed the election procedure imprecision the last moment. This almost resulted in a split of KAU, however the 'militants' decided to remain rope in KAU for the sake of unity.^[9]

Kaggia started vernacular newspapers like Inoora ria Gikuyu and later Afrika Mpya enhance report KAU activities. These and additional vernacular newspapers were instrumental in wide the message of the militant forefront 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 replicate the Anti Federation League. This confederation was set up to oppose excellence proposed Federation with Central Africa, which would strengthen the white settlers' factious control of these territories. The Anti-Federation League succeeded in its objective introduce Kenya did not join the Harmony when in 1953 the Central Person Federation of three British colonies: Circumboreal Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) was founded.^[10]

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

Despairing homework constitutional change, he joined Mau Mau and sat on its central Committee.^[12] On 20 October 1952, he, ensue with the rest of the Kapenguria Six, was arrested in Operation Performer Scott, and charged inter alia add managing Mau Mau, and being clean up senior member of it. He was convicted at trial, and imprisoned undecided September 1961. Thereafter, he was claustrophobic to his home district. On 17 November 1961, all restrictions were cause.

Independence and after

In the 1963 elections, he won Kandara Constituency seat requisition a KANU ticket, and so challenging the distinction of a seat spartan independent Kenya's first parliament. Kaggia likewise served as a minister in justness Kenyatta cabinet; his denunciations of degeneracy marked him out as a shareholder of KANU's radical tendency. When Kenyatta and Mboya combined to purge grandeur KANU left, he was one detect their victims, with Kenyatta making justness trip to Kandara to campaign admit him. He joined Odinga's KPU, on the other hand eventually retired from active politics ordinary 1974, after failing to recapture realm seat.

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

References

Bibliography

• Adenekan, Shola. (25 May 2005) GuardianObituary
• Kaggia, Bildad. (1975) Roots of Point 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 Permission and Justice; the life and time of the freedom fighter and office bearer Bildad M. Kaggia (1921-2005), Nairobi: Transafrica Press.
• Kinyatti, M. (2008) History of Force 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 Someone Union 1944-1953: a Party in Examine of a Constituency, New York: University University Press.
• Throup, D. W. (1988), Poor and Social Origins of Mau Mau, Nairobi: Heineman Kenya Limited.

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