THE POLITICIZATION OF THE BAN ON FEMALE CIRCUMCISION AND THE RISE OF THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL MOVEMENT IN KENYA - THE KCA, THE MISSIONS AND GOVERNMENT 1929-1932

The ban on female circumcision and the rise of the Kikuyu independent schools between 1929 and 1932 in Kenya were interrelated and politiciz ed. In their desire to eliminate female circumcision, several Protesta nt mission societies, not only forbade their followers from its practi ce, but also membership in the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA), the m ajor African political organization. This coupling of the two and the subsequent rise of independent schools, gave the KCA the opportunity t o rally the Kikuyu to its support and gained unprecedented popularity. The KCA became the champions of cultural Kikuyu heritage. The colonia l authorities were brought into the controversy by both the missions a nd the KCA, and although they tried to take a moderate approach, their vacillation failed to depoliticize the situation.