Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's Classic Play Returns: "The Trial of Dedan Kimathi"

This June, the Kenya National Theatre will come alive with the fiery spirit of resistance and freedom as The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, a landmark Kenyan play by late Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and the late Micere Githae Mugo takes center stage in a powerful new production.

Directed and produced by Stuart Nash, the play revisits one of the most defining moments in Kenya’s colonial history: the arrest, trial, and execution of Dedan Kimathi, the revolutionary leader of the Mau Mau uprising. Originally penned in the 1970s, the play has long stood as a cultural cornerstone, challenging dominant colonial narratives and reasserting African voices in the telling of their own history.

Set in the 1950s, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi dramatizes the final days of Kimathi’s life. While the colonial government labels him a terrorist, the play paints a starkly different portrait, one of a defiant hero, fighting against land dispossession, forced labor, and the violent repression that marked British colonial rule.

Through a blend of courtroom drama, poetic flashbacks, and surreal dream sequences, the production honors Kimathi’s courage while exposing the cruelty of colonialism.

Rising star Bilal Mwaura steps into the role of Kimathi, delivering what promises to be a searing performance of defiance and dignity. He is joined by a dynamic cast including Lydia Gitachu as the symbolic Woman figure, Thuita Mwangi and Jackline Mungai as the Boy and Girl two young characters who embody Kenya’s hope and struggle and Bhavnesh Chudasama,Dominic Mutemi, Frank Kaguura and Joseph Halt in supporting roles.

Performances begin in June at the Kenya National Theatre, with tickets expected to draw strong interest from schools, theatre lovers, historians, and citizens eager to connect with the country’s complex past.

Dedan Kimathi

Dedan Kimathi Waciuri was a senior military and spiritual leader of the Mau Mau rebellion, which fought against British colonial rule in Kenya during the 1950s. Born in 1920 in Nyeri, Kimathi became a symbol of African resistance and defiance in the face of imperial oppression.

Kimathi's leadership and radical commitment to reclaiming African land and sovereignty made him a target of the colonial administration.

He was captured in October 1956 and later executed in February 1957. For many Kenyans, he remains a martyr and freedom fighter whose resistance helped ignite the path to independence, achieved just six years later in 1963.