List of Kenyan freedom fighters

A list of Kenyans who contributed to Kenya's struggle for liberation from colonial rule.

Name	Born	Died	Additional Notes
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga	October 1911	20 January 1994	Joryme Okoth was a Luo chieftain
Harry Thuku	1895	1970	Politician
James Beauttah			Led the Kikuyu Central Association, Kenya's first all-African political organization. With Joseph Kang'ethe and later Jomo Kenyatta in 1924.
Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi	31 October 1920	18 February 1957	Leader of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army and the Mau Mau Uprising
Martin Shikuku	1933	22 August 2012	Former Butere MP.
Paul Ngei	18 October 1923	15 August 2004	Politician who was imprisoned for his roles in the anti-colonial movement. He later held ministerial positions after independence.
Ronald Ngala	1923	1972	Politician who led the Kenya African Democratic Union political party from its creation in 1960 until its dissolution in 1964.
Tom Mboya	15 August 1930	5 July 1969	Trade unionist, educator, Pan Africanist, author, independence activist, cabinet minister, and a Founding father
Masinde Muliro	1922	14 August 1992	Politician and shaper of the political landscape of independent Kenya.
Achieng Oneko	1920	9 June 2007	Politician who was arrested for his part in the Mau Mau rebellion. He was elected for the Nakuru Town Constituency seat and appointed Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Tourism under Kenyatta.
John David Kali	18 October 1924	7 July 1996	Mau Mau freedom fighter detained at Kapenguria and Hola; survivor of the Hola massacre; first Government Chief Whip in independent Kenya.
Bildad Kaggia	1922	7 March 2005	Nationalist, activist and politician who established himself as a militant nationalist
Koitalel Arap Samoei	1860	19 October 1905	Orkoiyot, the supreme chief of the Nandi people of Kenya. He led the Nandi resistance.
Esau Khamati Oriedo	1888	1 December 1992	Trade unionist, philanthropist, legal scholar, and independence activist who was detained and tortured 1952 – 1957 at Kapenguria together Koinange wa Mbiyu (d.1960), Jomo Kenyatta, and others for his role in the anti-colonial movement. Provided legal advocacy to fellow Kenyans charged with political crimes during struggle for independence. a He was a stalwart advocate against impious xenophobic stance towards African cultural values by the colonial era Christian church.
Kungu Karumba	1902	Unknown	Nationalist and freedom-fighter who was a member of the Kapenguria Six. Karumba and five other men were arrested on October 20, 1952, due to their involvement with the Mau Mau.
Pio Gama Pinto	31 March 1927	25 February 1965	Journalist, politician and freedom fighter. He was a socialist leader and became independent Kenya's first martyr in 1965.
Field Marshal Musa Mwariama	1928	1989	Revolutionary leader of the Mau Mau in Meru and the highest-ranking Mau Mau leader who survived the war while avoiding capture.
Koinange Wa Mbiyu	1865	1960	Kikuyu Paramount chief who was imprisoned for his role in the Mau Mau movement in Kiambu.
Jomo Kenyatta	c. 1897	22 August 1978	An anti-colonial activist and politician who was detained for his role in the anti-colonial movement. He governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous head of government and played a significant role in the transformation of Kenya from a colony of the British Empire into an independent republic.
W.W.W. Awori	2 August 1925	5 May 1978	Pioneer journalist, trade unionist, and one of the first African representatives nominated to the Legislative Council of Kenya (Legco). He served in the Legco from 1952 to 1956, advocating for African education, land ownership, and labour reforms. An early member of the Kenya African Union, W.W.W. Awori was the Acting President immediately before the organization was banned under Emergency regulations in 1953, and helped secure a legal team for the Kapenguria Six.
Makhan Singh	27 December 1913	18 May 1973	Sardar Makhan Singh was the first Trade Unionist and arguably played the most pivotal role in the Kenyan Freedom Movement. He disrupted the English trade and commerce activities and was titled "Maharaja Nairobi".