The Forty Group was a Kenyan society or organisation of the mid-twentieth century constituted primarily of members of the

Kenya African Union The Kenya African Union (KAU) was a political organization devoted to achieving independence for British Kenya. In 1960 it became the current Kenya African National Union (KANU). Formation The Kenya African Union was founded in 1944 under the nam ...

who joined with the aim of using violence to make their voice heard. The name is a translation of the

Gĩkũyũ The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The t ...

phrase Anake a 40, which means The Young Men of 40. The organisation was also called Kiama kia 40 translating to The (political) party of 40. The number 40 is a reference to the year 1940, in which most of the group's core members were drafted into the British Armed Forces. The organisation consisted mainly of men fresh from service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was founded by

Mwangi Macharia Mwangi is a name of Kenyan origin that may refer to: *Barnabas Muturi Mwangi, Kenyan politician and Member of the National Assembly for Sisi Kwa Sisi * Benjamin Mwangi, Kenyan politician and Member of the National Assembly for Embakasi Central *Boni ...

and gradually evolved into part of the

Mau Mau rebellion The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', ...

of the 1950s.

Stanley Mathenge Stanley Mathenge wa Mirugi (born c. 1919 in Mahiga, Nyeri District) was a Mau Mau military leader. Background Before the Mau Mau freedom struggle, he had fought in Burma. Later he became the leader of the Forty Group, an organisation supporting ...

was one of the leaders of the Forty Group.Marshall S. Clough
Mau Mau memoirs: history, memory, and politics
Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998.

References

External links

History of Kenya Mau Mau Uprising {{Africa-org-stub