THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT FOUNDING FATHER MZEE JOMO KENYATTA

1.Name Changes
Jomo Kenyatta was born circa 1894 in the nation of British East Africa, which would later become Kenya. His birth name was Kamau Wa Ngengi, which was reflective of his Kikuyu heritage. In 1914, he changed his name to Johnson Kamau after being baptized and then to Jomo Kenyatta in 1922.

2. Personal Hardships
In his youth, Kenyatta suffered many personal tragedies that shaped his life. His father, Moigoi, died before was 10 years old. Because of tradition in his village, Kenyatta’s mother, Wamboi, had to marry his uncle. Then she died during childbirth. At just 10 years old, he lost his entire family. All of these events led him to a Scottish mission where he learned about European culture firsthand. Living and studying there inspired his outlook.

3. The Start of His Political Career
In 1922, Kenyatta started working in the Nairobi Municipal Council Public Works Department after a long stint of working jobs as a carpenter, clerk and interpreter. In the same year, he joined the East African Association, a coalition of people of Kikuyu heritage to reclaim lands confiscated by white settlers.

4. The Disbanded East African Association

The British government was not fond of the East African Association. They felt threatened by the group’s influence and possible upheaval of the people they colonized. So the EAA was disbanded in 1925 and replaced with the Kikuyu Central Association. Kenyatta was diving deeper into the liberation movement and became editor of the organization’s newspaper. Then he rose up in KCA, acting as secretary general in 1928. In May of that year, he also started the Mwigwithania paper, which focused on issues concerning the Kikuyu peoplE

5. In 1931, Kenyatta began a long period of diplomacy on behalf of Kikuyu in Great Britain. The British officials dodged him at every turn and did not want to listen to his grievances about Kikuyu land. So he decided to attend one of the Selly Oaks Colleges in Birmingham. In 1932, he won back Kikuyu lands. During this time, he studied in Russia, wrote many important texts about Kikuyu, including Facing Mount Kenya in 1938, and became part of the Pan-African Movement

6


1950s 
World War II cut off Kenyatta from Kenya, but during that time much progress was made in liberating Kenya from the British. By this time, he was president of the Kenya African Union and was imprisoned in 1952 for allegedly inciting the Mau Mau Rebellion. He was imprisoned for nearly eight years, doing hard labor. During his jail time, Tom Mboya  and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga reshaped the Kenya African Union and created the Kenya African Democratic Union, which included Maasai, Samburu, Kalenjin and Turkana representatives.

7. The Presidency 

swearing in of president jomo kenyatta

On Aug. 21, 1961, Kenyatta was free, but there was still work to do. In that year, voting rights were finally given to Kenyans. In the following year, Kenyatta went to London to get full independence from British authority. By 1963, terms were negotiated and a temporary government was established. In this temporary government, he was prime minister, but a year later Kenyatta became president from 1964-78.




The Presidency 
On Aug. 21, 1961, Kenyatta was free, but there was still work to do. In that year, voting rights were finally given to Kenyans. In the following year, Kenyatta went to London to get full independence from British authority. By 1963, terms were negotiated and a temporary government was established. In this temporary government, he was prime minister, but a year later Kenyatta became president from 1964-78.

One 8.Kenya
His presidency was concerned with uniting all of Kenya. So his administration included people from various ethnic groups. There was only one political party during his presidency.

Legacy
9. Kenyatta has been celebrated for his work as a founding father of Kenya. His face is on every piece of currency; there are universities named after him such as Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Kenya’s international airport is named after him. Kenyatta died Aug. 22, 1978, leaving behind a stable country. In fact, the current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, is his son.


SOURCE: http://atlantablackstar.com