By Willy Mutunga*
PREFACE
This is the preface of the book, FROM MAU MAU TO RUTO MUST GO: Essays on Kenya’s struggle against Imperialism, that Dr. Willy Mutunga presented on Kimathi Day, February 18, 2025.
Hasta la Victoria Siempre!/Until Victory, Always
Patria O Muerte!/ Homeland or Death
Aluta Continua!/The Struggle Continues
A Vitoria e C’erta!/ Victory is Certain
From June 18 2024 and other days in June, July and August 2024 Kenya witnessed the beginning of what would be called Gen Z uprising/mass action/ rebellion/revolution. Specifically against the Finance Bill 2024, Gen Z were explicitly against the status quo in Kenya. Making clear political demands framed from Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, they demanded to withdraw its sovereign power from both the Executive and Parliament. The youth went on to demand the direct exercise of this sovereign power by what they called the occupations of the two arms of the State. The KANU-RUTO dictatorship responded by unconstitutionally using its machinery of violence. Abductions, kidnappings, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, false arrests and malicious prosecutions, torture, maiming, and femicide were unleashed on the Gen Z and Millennials. This reign of terror continues to this day as, indeed, the resistance also continues. The Gen Z and the Millennials, through their political parties and movements, have been busy discussing the agenda for Kenya. The country expects the agenda to be tabled during the first anniversary of the uprising/mass action/ rebellion/ revolution in June this year.
In this book, FROM MAU MAU TO RUTOMUSTGO: Essays on Kenya’s struggle against Imperialism, edited by Comrades Shiraz Durrani and Ruo Kimani-Ruo we have an excellent example of the teachings of Rodney that I discuss below. As the book has many themes, I have decided to signal only two themes for reflection that are, I believe, worth of debates about our struggle against imperialism, going forward:
FIRST: Walter Rodney has taught us that links and continuities of struggles for liberation and revolution have to be studied in their historical trajectory. Such historical trajectory allows us to celebrate and consolidate the gains made while the lessons of failure are learnt. This revolutionary approach shuns dogmatism, is innovative, inventive, and learns from the practice of the ongoing struggles. This approach is also a trajectory of class struggles in our country. In the context of Kenya it is a struggle by Kenyans against the enslaving foreign interests and the comprador bourgeoisie, the house niggers in the colonial plantation we call Kenya. We have called the latter class in Kiswahili the following: Wanyonyaji, Mabeberu, Makabaila, Matumbo Hayashimbi, Nyang’au, Walalahai, Walawatu, Wanyapara wa Ukoloni mambo leo. The country needs an alternative political leadership. We have not had a formidable opposition since Kenya People’s Union (KPU) The Kenyatta-KANU dictatorship banned KPU in 1969 and detained all its leaders. Since then what Kenya has had is a ruling class situated in the government and in the so-called opposition. It is important for Kenya to historicize, problematize, interrogate, and critique the substance of resistance in our struggle against imperialism.
SECOND: Debates on the state of the planet have become fundamentally important in our struggles for revolution and liberation. These debates include the status of the imperialism of the TRIAD (US, Europe, and Japan); Social imperialism (The Chinese communists coined these words in 1963 to describe the state of soviet socialism; and two African Marxists Dani W Nabudere and Lucas Khamis have also written on the issue); the BRICS and the struggle for a multi-polar world; Neofascism and the possibility of World War II (WWII)I; New Pathways to socialism; and the rising global consciousness in the South and North against the planetary status quo as witnessed in Black Lives Matter Movement, Global Reparations Movement, Struggles against Genocide in Palestine, and other global movements. This growing consciousness is critical in identifying the enemies of the global citizens, globally, regionally, and nationally. In all these debates lie great intellectual, ideological, political, and revolutionary opportunities for global citizens to struggle for a planet that is just, peaceful, non-militaristic, non-sexist, non-eugenicist, non-racist, humane, gender just, non-homophobic, ecologically safe, prosperous, equitable, and socialist.
In FROM MAU MAU TO RUTO MUST GO, we have a revolutionary book that will help radical parties and social movements in Kenya and beyond to continue to think through the practice of our struggles for a planet we wish to see.
- Chief Justice & President Supreme Court, Kenya, 2011-2012
Adjunct Professor in Public Law, Kabarak Law School
Nairobi, Kimathi Day, 2025
