Speech by Comrade Booker Omole, General Secretary of the
Communist Party Marxist Kenya (CPMK), on Dedan Kimathi Day,
February 18th, 2025
Comrades, workers, peasants, revolutionary youth, and all patriotic Kenyans,
Today, 18th February, marks the day in 1957 when the British colonial government hanged our national hero, our comrade, Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi. They did not just hang a man; they sought to kill the revolutionary spirit that burned in his heart, the same spirit that ignited the armed struggle for our independence. Kimathi was the supreme commander of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), the true name of what the British settlers called “Mau Mau.” This was a name meant to demean our struggle, but history has sanctified it through fire and blood.
We do not remember Dedan Kimathi alone. We remember Mzalendo Bildad Kaggia, Comrade Wasonga Sijeyo, Comrade Pio Gama Pinto, and Mzalendo Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. These are our true heroes; revolutionaries who stood firm in the fight for genuine independence. Their legacy does not belong in the museums of bourgeois historians who sanitise betrayal; it belongs to the people, to the ongoing struggle.
Today, the Communist Party Marxist Kenya (CPMK), alongside progressive and revolutionary organisations, has organised nationwide celebrations to honour Kimathi’s life and legacy. This is in line with the resolutions of the Second National Congress, which declared that the Party shall be at the forefront of reclaiming the legacy of our true heroes, starting with Dedan Kimathi. We shall raise his banner and the revolutionary spirit of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army even higher for generations to come.
At Ukumbi Ndogo, we celebrate Kimathi under the banner of the Pan-African Socialist Alliance (PASA). In Nyeri, we gather at the Dedan Kimathi Memorial Park. In Siaya, just a few metres from the home of Comrade Wasonga Sijeyo; the comrade who supplied home-made guns to the Kenya Land and Freedom Army; young people stage a rally. The Revolutionary Youth League; the CPMK militants; have cleaned the Dedan Kimathi statue, reclaiming our history in the heart of the city. In the working-class neighbourhoods, the Wahenga Youth host a reflection and art exhibition on Kimathi. In Mombasa and Kisumu, people’s colloquiums echo his defiance. This year, the commemorations have expanded tenfold, a manifestation to the growing consciousness of our people.
Dedan Kimathi and the Symbol of the Unfinished Kenyan Revolution
Comrades, Dedan Kimathi and our defiant Kenyan flag symbolise not only what has been achieved but also what remains unfinished.
In 1963, Kenya gained political independence; but not economic independence. The armed struggle for national liberation was hijacked by the petty-bourgeois mercenaries led by Jomo Kenyatta and his gang. These compradors betrayed the revolution by negotiating with British imperialists to preserve the colonial economic structure.
They ensured that:
Land remained in the hands of white settler robbers.
The wishes of the landless poor were ignored.
Neo-colonialism replaced direct colonial rule.
The betrayal of independence in 1963 is why Kenya remains humiliated at home and abroad. Our leaders do not make decisions; they take orders from Washington, London, and Paris. We witness the absurdity of a Kenyan president calling Emmanuel Macron to ask what to do in Congo, of a supposed opposition leader inviting the European Union to intervene in Kenya’s internal politics, and of our government begging Washington to mediate in our domestic affairs. These are not leaders; they are rented agents auctioning our nation to the highest bidder.
This is why Dedan Kimathi remains the eternal symbol of the unfinished Kenyan revolution. He reminds us that the only class that can complete our independence is the alliance of workers and peasants. Not the petty bourgeoisie, which swings like a pendulum between imperialist masters.
We follow the path of Dedan Kimathi; defiant to the end! Homeland or death! We shall overcome!
The National Democratic Revolution (NDR): Completing Our Independence
Comrades, our struggle is clear; it is a National Democratic Revolution (NDR). This was reaffirmed at the Second National Congress of CPMK. Our Party, with the Central Organising Committee (COC) at its core, has taken up the historic task of mobilising all democratic forces to complete Kenya’s independence.
We declare, in no uncertain terms:
Kenya shall be free, independent, and sovereign!
Never again shall the Kenyan people be humiliated by foreign interests and their local puppets!
This is the central demand of the National Coordination Committee of the People’s Assembly (NCCPA), which CPMK proudly co-convenes. It is also the rallying cry of the Pan-African Socialist Alliance (PASA), where CPMK stands at the forefront.
To complete our independence, CPMK is leading the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) to:
Drive out the running dogs of imperialism.
Destroy the neo-colonial economic structures.
Establish a truly sovereign republic.
We reaffirm today that the unity of the United Front is possible through the Minimum Programme, now called the People’s Charter : TUNAKATAA!
Rejecting the Neoliberal Order
Comrades, today we reject the neoliberal turbo-capitalist system that continues to oppress us. We reject debt slavery, privatisation, and capitalist exploitation.
We demand land for the landless!
We demand industry for the workers!
We demand an economy that serves the people, not the imperialists!
Long live Mzalendo Dedan Kimathi!
Long live CPMK!
Down with imperialism!
Forward to socialism!