In 1945, during World War II, Cpl Kisele Kilonzo, a driver of an M3A1 Light Tank, served in Burma as part of the Kings African Rifles (KAR). The Kamba people, to which Kilonzo belonged, contributed soldiers to the KAR at a rate four times their percentage of the Kenyan population. This high enlistment rate was rooted in the colonial belief that the Kambas were the “Martial Race of Africa.”
Field Marshal Sir William Slim, who commanded British troops in Burma, described the Kambas as “the best soldierly material in Africa.” Similarly, a 1950 press statement from the British Army East African Command praised the Kambas as “a fighting race and loyal soldiers.” These sentiments were echoed by battlefield commanders who lauded Kamba soldiers as “hardy, courageous, and mechanically minded.”
In 1945, an East African unit, predominantly composed of Akamba soldiers (90%), achieved a significant victory by pursuing and seizing ground from retreating Japanese forces down the Kabaw Valley. This unit was also the first to cross the Chindwin River into Burma, with their success and efficiency largely attributed to the Kamba soldiers’ bravery and skill.
