Mwakenya (Muungano wa Wazalendo wa Kenya) was an off-shoot of the December Twelve Movement (DTM) that was founded in 1974 as an underground avenue to express dissent against the government after opposition parties such as the Kenya People’s Union were banned. This made Kenya a de facto one-party state, something which was to be formalized in 1982 after the failed coup attempt against Daniel Arap Moi.

The aim of this underground socialist movement was to counter the new crop of black bourgeoisie in Kenya and their alliance with capital and imperialism in other regions of the world. The name December 12th reflected the belief by members that what had gone wrong with Kenya began the very day of independence. That the idea of independence and self-determination for all Kenyans had been subverted to only serve the interest of the postcolonial elite and other imperialist interests.

Members of Mwakenya advocated for various things including the opening up of democratic space in the country, social justice for all and for an independent Kenya that is in control of its own resources and free of foreign interference. These ideas were disseminated through public lectures which stopped as the post-colonial government cracked down on intellectuals. The movement was accused of disruption and trying to overthrow the government. The movement’s main publications were Pambana, a mass paper by the movement, and Mpatanishi, the ideological journal of the movement. Pambana and Mpatanishi set out to spread revolutionary appeal among Kenyans who took an anti-imperialist stance but were passive in their expression.