Although Africans won the war (due to the positive impact that accrued), they lost the battle (were militarily defeated). This was due to the following reasons:

Inadequate weapons. The Mau Mau fighters had used, very old, locally manufactured and rudimentary guns. Some of them fought using pangas, sticks, stones and metal bars. Such weapons couldn't win a war really,

British military superiority. The colonial army had up to date weapons, some of which had been applied during the second world war against Germany. These included armoured vehicles, artilleries, Engfield guns, Lancaster bomber planes etc. With these, they over powered the Man Mail guerrillas.

Betrayal by fellow Africans. The British trained some Africans, gave them favours like land and sent them to the bushes to pretend as if they were part of the Mau Mau fighters. These managed to kill and arrest a number of the guerrillas because they were not easy to detect.

The nature of the terrain. Though they provided good hiding bases, the ridges /hills also proved a barrier to communication.

The British divide and rule policy where by they spread the anti-revolutionary propaganda" terming the Mau Mau as a Kikuyu tribal affair. They discouraged other tribes from joining the rebellion.

The British scotched earth policy. The British plus their African collaborators set forests and gardens on fire. This not only led to the death of some guerrillas but also destroyed their means of survival.

Opposition from the landed aristocrats. Most of the rich old men including Kikuyus opposed the use of violence and this undermined the struggle.

Lack of KAU support. Since the Mau Mau fighters were a break away group from the moderate KAU, this prevented full co-operation between the KAU moderates and Mau, Mau radicals (the 40 group). This too, weakened the Mau Mau fighters.

The destruction of rebel bases in Nairobi. The Mau Mau had its urban Headquarters at Mathare valley, a slum for Africans.

The capture of its leaders. During the course of the fighting, Mau Mau leaders were captured e.g Itote (General China) was captured in February 1954 while Dedan Kimathi was captured in October 1956 and hanged . This demoralized the fighters.

False protection from their gods. The Mau Mau fighters wrongly believed that the founders of their society- Gikuyu and Mumbi plus other gods and ancestral spirits were fighting on their side.

Lack of foreign support explains the defeat of the Man Mau . Unlike the Algerian and Angolan nationalists who received financial and military support fellow Africans and the Eastern block, the Mau Mau fighters were disadvantaged. It was a self-reliant movement which was destroyed due to this fact.

The British obtained re-enforcement troops from Uganda and even U.K.. Among Ugandan commanders against the Mau Mau fighters was the youthful and militarily genius Idi Amin Dada.

The timing of the revolt was wrong. This is because the British colonialists were still deeply entrenched in Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Uganda

The area of operation was small, Mau Mau fighters failed to capture large bases and were easily rounded up.

Internal rivalries led to disputes, in-fighting, delayed decision making and poor organisation. All these led to the defeat of the Mau Mau.