Independence for Kenya

The Path to Kenya’s Independence

• Nationalism – A strong pride in one’s country and a desire for self-government (independence).

Slide 1•Early 1900s - Maasai and the Kikuyu tribes lost large amounts of land to these European settlers.

•1920 – After World War I, Europeans continue to settle in Kenya.•1920 – Kenya becomes a British colony.

•1922 - Kenyan nationalist movement was led by Harry Thuku to protest against the white-settler dominance in the government

Slide 2•Following World War II (1939-1945), Jomo Kenyatta became an outspoken nationalist, demanding Kenyan self-government and independence from Great Britain.

•In 1947, Jomo Kenyatta becomes president of the first colony-wide African political organization, the Kenya African Union (KAU)

Kenya

Slide 3 Mau Mau Rebellion•1950s – a violent seven year uprising occurred resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

•The Mau Mau movement was a militant African nationalist group that opposed British colonial rule and its exploitation of the native population.

Slide 4•Over the next several years, the British worked with African and white settler leaders to plan the country’s transition to independence. These conferences produced a constitution in 1963 that provided for the creation of a bicameral legislature and free elections.

•Jomo Kenyatta is elected first president.

Slide 5

•On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya gained its independence from Britain. “With Britain’s Union Jack replaced by the black, red and green flag of the new states, political power in Britain’s last East African colonial holding slipped from the grasp of its 55,759 whites and was taken up by its 8,365,942 Africans,” •(NY Times, December – 1963)