GENERAL KAGO - THE NAPOLEON OF MAU MAU

The story of Kenya’s freedom struggle is often told through a handful of famous names. Dedan Kimathi. General Mwariama. General China. Stanley Mathenge. But hidden in the shadows of history are commanders whose courage, ingenuity and sacrifice helped sustain one of Africa’s most formidable anti-colonial wars. One of those men was General Kago. The story of Kenya’s freedom struggle is often told through a handful of famous names. Dedan Kimathi. General Mwariama. General China. Stanley Mathenge. But hidden in the shadows of history are commanders whose courage, ingenuity and sacrifice helped sustain one of Africa’s most formidable anti-colonial wars. One of those men was General Kago. At the height of the Mau Mau War, General Kago emerged as one of the most daring field commanders in the Aberdare forests. His attacks embarrassed the colonial government. His mobility confounded British intelligence. And one operation—executed with extraordinary precision in 1954—shook the colonial administration to its core. Born around 1915 in Fort Hall District—present-day Murang’a County—he grew up during a period of dramatic social change. Like thousands of young Africans, Kariuki joined the King’s African Rifles and saw action during the Second World War. After the war, Kago returned to a country that had not changed. Landlessness persisted. In fact, landlessness became even more acute as returning white soldiers were given more land while black soldiers were demobilized with nothing. Kago became associated with nationalist networks, including the Kenya African Union, the Kikuyu Central Association, and later the militant Anake a Forty or the Forty Group, an organisation composed largely of former soldiers. Like other disgruntled men, he joined the fighters in the forest. He quickly distinguished himself for his bravery, strategic leadership and daredevil execution of military tasks. Soon, he would be given a military title, like many Mau Mau leaders: General Kago. He was given a whole contingent of fighters to command, but he remained under Dedan Kimathi’s army that was operating to the West of Mt. Kenya forest and in the Aberdare hills. This documentary is about this remarkable military leader.