Dedan Kimathi

Mau Mau rebellion leader who pioneered asymmetric jungle warfare against British colonial rule in Kenya

Dedan Kimathi Waciuri (1920–1957) transformed anti-colonial resistance through forest-based guerrilla tactics that inspired later liberation movements. As Mau Mau's prime minister in the Aberdare Mountains, he organized 30,000 fighters using Gikuyu oaths and WW2 surplus arms to create Africa's first modern insurgency against European settlers.

His 1953 Ituma Ndemi Army established mobile camps with field hospitals and arms workshops, employing environmental warfare by ambushing British troops in bamboo forests. Colonial reports called him 'Africa's most dangerous terrorist', offering 5,000£ for his capture – equivalent to $140,000 today.

After being betrayed and hanged, Kimathi's hidden grave became a pilgrimage site. In 2007, forensic archaeologists identified his remains using prison dental records, sparking renewed debates about colonial-era human rights abuses. His signature leopard-skin cloak and bullet pouch now symbolize indigenous resistance in Kenyan art.