Nomad_Africa_Edition12

Jomo Kenyatta addressing graduates at Nairobi
University on September 29, 1969.
independence was declared and this was
jubilantly celebrated on 12 December 1963.
In 1964, Kenyatta had Parliament amend the
Constitution to make Kenya a republic. The
office of Prime Minister was replaced by a
President with wide executive and legislative
powers. Elected by the National Assembly,
Jomo Kenyatta became head of State,
head of Government and Commander-in-
Chief of the armed forces. Under the provisions
of the amendment, this enabled
Kenyatta to automatically become President.
Elected for three consecutive terms, Kenyatta
enjoyed complete political control of
his nation, but not without controversy. His
authoritarian style, characterised by patronage,
favouritism, tribalism and nepotism
drew criticism and dissent, setting a bad example
followed by his successor Daniel
arap Moi in years to come.
For instance, Kenyatta amended the Constitution
radically to expand his powers,
thereby consolidating executive power. His
policies are also criticised, which led to a
large income and development inequality
gap in the country. Development and resource
allocation in the country during his
reign was seen to have favoured some regions
of the country over others. The resettlement
of many Kikuyu tribesmen in the
country's Rift Valley province is widely considered
to have been done unfairly under
his government. One of his famous sayings
is the following:
“When the Missionaries arrived, the Africans
had the land and the Missionaries had the
Bible. They taught how us to pray with our
eyes closed. When we opened them, they
had the land and we had the Bible.”
However, during the 1970s, advancing age
kept Kenyatta from the day-to-day management
of government affairs. He intervened
only when necessary to settle disputed issues
and this relative isolation resulted in increasing
domination of Kenya’s affairs by
well-connected Kikuyu who acquired great
wealth as a result. His increasingly feeble
health meant that his inner circle effectively
ruled the country, and greatly enriched their
own personal interests in his name.
Well into his 80s, Jomo Kenyatta suffered a
massive heart attack. Prophetically on 14 August
1978, Kenyatta called upon his entire
family, including his son Peter Muigai Kenyatta
who flew in from Britain with his family,
to a reunion in Mombasa.
However, 22 August 1978 will be remembered
as the day when President Kenyatta
died in Mombasa of natural causes due to
old age. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was buried
on 31 August 1978 in Nairobi in a state funeral
at a mausoleum on Parliament
grounds.
Jomo Kenyatta left a substantial large family
of considerable political influence. His
fourth wife, the best known due to her role
as First Lady, was Ngina Kenyatta (née
Muhoho), also known as Mama Ngina. She
bore Kenyatta four children: Christine
Wambui, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, Anna
Nyokabi and Muhoho Kenyatta. Mama
Ngina lives quietly as a wealthy widow and
is also one of Kenya’s wealthiest women
due to her family’s political influence connections.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Ngina and Jomo Kenyatta's
son and political heir, unsuccessfully stood
for the Kenyan presidency as President
Moi's preferred successor in 2002, but was
later successfully elected Kenya's fourth
President in 2013.
Jomo Kenyatta had much in common with
the Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah who
both pioneered the break from colonialism
and British rule, yet will also be remembered
for selfish presidential rule, one party
dictatorship, ethnicity and cronyism.
Yet ,without such men, African countries
may have taken much longer to achieve
self-determination and democracy thereby
contributing towards propelling Africa into
the 21st century.
Jomo Kenyatta ruled in office from 1 June
1963 until 22 August 1978 when he was succeeded
by Daniel arap Moi.
Issue 12 | ...Celebrating the world’s richest continent | www.nomadafricamag.com | 73