Kiambu Mafia
Encyclopedia
The Kiambu Mafia is a pejorative
term referring to a small group of the Kikuyu people primarily from the then Kiambu District
of Kenya
(now Kiambu and a portion of Thika District
) who benefited financially and politically from Kenya African National Union
(KANU) and Kenyatta taking power at independence.
These individuals earned wealth primarily in parcels of land "awarded" or “sold” to them by the government. For many years they were the predominant indigenous group in the Kenyan economy, controlling tea
and coffee
plantation
s, and retaining heavy influence over the tertiary sector as it developed.
Due to the influence the Kiambu mafia had, they could acquire lands from peasants in Central Province
in exchange with bigger parcels of land in Rift Valley
.
The plutocratic style adopted by the government of the day allowed them easy access to essential resources. Many of these individuals were well educated, having attended universities inside and outside Kenya. However it must be appreciated that there are individuals associated with the Kiambu Mafia not from the Kiambu district.
When Kenyatta's health started to deteriorate, the Kiambu Mafia was concerned about their and that is when they decided to plan the succession in the event Kenyatta died by trying to amend the constitution so that the Vice president would not automatically hold power till the election is held.
Njonjo, who was not one of the mafia, came out strongly opposing the succession talks by saying it was in fact treason to even imagine the death of a sitting president.
When Moi came into power in 1978, he abolished all the tribal movements but his main aim was Kiambu Mafia, because he was not comfortable with it with the huge wealth and power.
Kiambu Mafia is also believed to be behind retaliatory attacks in Naivasha
, Nairobi
and Nakuru
during Kenya's post-election violence in 2007–2008, having raised money and hired Mungiki
to carry out retaliation against those perceived to be attacking Kikuyu.
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term referring to a small group of the Kikuyu people primarily from the then Kiambu District
Kiambu District
Kiambu District is an administrative district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kiambu. The district is adjacent to the northern border of Nairobi and has a population of 744,010....
of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(now Kiambu and a portion of Thika District
Thika District
Thika District is an administrative district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Thika. The district is adjacent to the northeastern border of Nairobi. The district has a population of 645.713 ....
) who benefited financially and politically from Kenya African National Union
Kenya African National Union
The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU is a political party which ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002...
(KANU) and Kenyatta taking power at independence.
These individuals earned wealth primarily in parcels of land "awarded" or “sold” to them by the government. For many years they were the predominant indigenous group in the Kenyan economy, controlling tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, and retaining heavy influence over the tertiary sector as it developed.
Due to the influence the Kiambu mafia had, they could acquire lands from peasants in Central Province
Central Province
Central Province may refer to:*Central Province *Central Province *Central Province *Central Province, Sri Lanka*Central Province, Zambia*Centre Province, Cameroon...
in exchange with bigger parcels of land in Rift Valley
Rift Valley
In order of specificity, Rift Valley can refer to:*a rift valley in general*the Great Rift Valley*the Rift Valley fever*the valley of the East African Rift*Rift Valley Province, Kenya and border with Uganda...
.
The plutocratic style adopted by the government of the day allowed them easy access to essential resources. Many of these individuals were well educated, having attended universities inside and outside Kenya. However it must be appreciated that there are individuals associated with the Kiambu Mafia not from the Kiambu district.
When Kenyatta's health started to deteriorate, the Kiambu Mafia was concerned about their and that is when they decided to plan the succession in the event Kenyatta died by trying to amend the constitution so that the Vice president would not automatically hold power till the election is held.
Njonjo, who was not one of the mafia, came out strongly opposing the succession talks by saying it was in fact treason to even imagine the death of a sitting president.
When Moi came into power in 1978, he abolished all the tribal movements but his main aim was Kiambu Mafia, because he was not comfortable with it with the huge wealth and power.
Kiambu Mafia is also believed to be behind retaliatory attacks in Naivasha
Naivasha
Naivasha is a market town in Rift Valley Province, Kenya, lying north west of Nairobi. It is located on the shore of Lake Naivasha and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway and Uganda Railway.Naivasha is part of the Nakuru District...
, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
and Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
during Kenya's post-election violence in 2007–2008, having raised money and hired Mungiki
Mungiki
Mungiki is a politico-religious group and a banned criminal organization in Kenya. The name means "A united people" or "multitude" in the Kikuyu language. The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to mystery religions. Specifics of their...
to carry out retaliation against those perceived to be attacking Kikuyu.