Why colonialists banned Kikuyu, Meru from joining the army

Brigadier JM Ndolo meets President Jomo Kenyatta. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

By KENNETH KWAMA

KENYA: British colonial administrators banned the Kikuyu and Meru from joining the army during the years leading to independence due to their close association with the Mau Mau movement, and instead recruited heavily from the Kamba and Kalenjin communities.