Grievances over land alienation. The British colonial government had encouraged a number of white settlers into Kenya, These came from Britain, South Africa, New Zealand, Nether lands, Australia and Southern Rhodesia.

The suffering of Africans in reserves contributed to the Mau Mau rebellion. Reserves were created for Africans whose land had been grabbed.

The desire to end their squatter status. Land grabbing by whites had rendered the majority of Kenyans landless.

The desire to please the ancestral spirits. Kikuyu land had religious values. The land had been handed down to them by their ancestors and contained the ancestral burial grounds.

The unpopular agricultural programmes. The colonial government introduced a soil conservation policy by which all the Kikuyu were expected to carry out compulsory terracing across the ridges.

Grievances over idle-land. White settlers owned large pieces of land which were idle. This brewed feelings of jealousy amongst the landless Africans who appealed to the colonial government for land reforms but in vain.

Urban unemployment contributed to the rebellion.

Cash crop restrictions, Indigenous Kenyans were prevented from growing cash crops such as coffee, pyrethrum and sisal.

The introduction of the Kipande system also drove Kenyans into rebellion. This was a kind of identity card or certificate of registration given to the Africans to restrict their movements.

Africans hated forced labour. Africans were not only forced to work on European plantations but were also required to offer labour on public works like roads, railways and buildings.

Famine and starvation. Most Africans were busy producing cash crops on white man's plantations.

Racial discrimination contributed to the Mau Mau rebellion. Kenyans were not only discriminated in residential areas but also in other aspects of life.

Over taxation and poverty. Colonialists introduced high taxes and initially it were only the Africans to pay.

Religious and cultural clashes also led to the Mau Mau rebellion. Traditionally, the Kikuyu had their gods who were serving them well.

The influence of the ex-service men also led to the Mau Mau rising.

The desire for independence. Kenya's politics was dominated by whites who were assisted by local African chiefs to implement the unpopular colonial policies.

The failure of peaceful methods led to the Mau Mau rebellion. In 1944, Eluid Mathu founded the Kenya African Union (KAU) and demanded for political, economic and social reforms.

The Kikuyu desire to control Kenya's politics. Since all Kenyans were tired of white settler dominance in Kenya, the Kikuyu hatched a secret desire of taking over Kenya's politics after the departure of the whites.

Unfair political representation. By 1945, there was only one African on the colonial legislative council (colonial parliament), and by 1951, they were only five.

The 20th October 1952 state of emergency led to the rebellion.

The conducive terrain also contributed to the outbreak of the rebellion. The thicker bamboo forests on the slopes of Mountain Kenya plus the valley and hilly Aberdare ranges.

The influence of West African nationalism led to the Mau Mau rebellion- Both the British and French were busy reforming their colonial policies in Western Africa.

The Egyptian revolution of 1952 also fuelled militant nationalism in Kenya.

The domination of Kenya's economy by Asians also fuelled feelings of nationalism amongst the largely hungry and unemployed Africans.