Jomo Kenyatta is a popular name that cannot be so easily forgotten, especially among Kenyans. His name, originally Kamau Ngengi, has gone down in history as one of the most recognizable figures in Kenya, East Africa and Africa as a whole. Below are some of the most fascinating facts about Jomo Kenyatta.
Jomo Kenyatta background information
1. Jomo Kenyatta is known as the founding father of the Kenyan nation. He was an African statesman and a nationalist.
2. He was the first Kenyan Prime Minister in 1963 and when Kenya gained independence he became the country’s first President (1964-1978).
Jomo Kenyatta’s early life
3. Kenyatta was born around 1894 in a small agricultural village in Gatundu, Kiambu District, although the exact date of birth is not known. He was born before formal education was introduced in Kenya.
4. Kenyatta was first exposed to Europeans around the age of 10 after being treated successfully for an infection in his leg by the Church of Scotland Mission in Thogoto. Impressed by his first encounter, he ran away from home to continue his primary education and become a student at the Mission School, where he studied Bible, mathematics, English and carpentry from 1909 to 1912, working as a houseboy and cook for a European settler.
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Jomo Kenyatta’s Personal Life, Wife, Son, Family and Education
6. While working for the Nairobi Public Works Department, Kamau took the Kikuyu name Jomo (flaming spear) Kenyatta (Light of Kenya) after a fancy belt he wore.
7. Kenyatta was a polygamist who married four wives. He married his first wife, Grace Wahu, under the Kikuyu Customs in 1919. His first son, Peter Muigai, was born on November 20, 1920.
8. He went to London in 1929 and enrolled at one of the Selly Oaks collages in Birmingham in 1931. The next year he transferred to Moscow State University, where he studied economics under the auspices of Caribbean Pan-Africanist George Padmore. He was educated at University College, London in 1934 and at the London School of Economics in 1935, where he studied social anthropology with the well-known Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski.
9. In 1942 he married an English governess, Edna Clark, who gave birth to his second son, Peter Magana, in August 1942. After almost 15 years abroad he returned to Kenya in 1946, leaving Edna Clarke in Britain and marrying Grace Wanjiku, who died in 1951, while giving birth to their daughter Jane Wambui. In 1951, Kenyatta married Ngina Muhoho, later known as Kenya’s First Lady. Together they had four children; Christine Wambui (1953), Uhuru Muigai (1961), Anna Nyokabi Muthama (1963) and Muhoho (1965). His son, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, is now the fourth President of Kenya.
Jomo Kenyatta in politics
10. Kenyatta’s political career began in the 1920s as a new spirit of nationalism emerged, particularly among the Kikuyus, who opposed some aspects of European influence and the settler conquest of African land. He was among the few educated Kenyans and in 1922 joined the Young Kikuyu Association and other parties until Kenya granted independence and he assumed the presidency.
11. Between 1948 and 1951, Kenyatta traveled extensively around the country urging the people to work hard, protesting European settlement of the Kenyan land and demanding independence from colonial rule.
12. In 1952 he and five other leaders were arrested and accused of being members of the outlawed and radical anti-colonial revolt – the Mau Mau movement. He was sentenced to seven years in prison with hard labor. He was released in 1961 and returned home to be greeted by a hero. In 1963 Kenya became an autonomous state and he became its first prime minister. Later in 1964, when the constitution was changed and the office of prime minister was replaced by a president, Kenyatta became Kenya’s first president. Kenyatta was a source of strength and inspiration to Kenyans during his lifetime. His leadership was central during the struggle for freedom as Kenyan freedom fighters reaffirmed the injustices of colonialism. Along with other freedom fighters, he was tortured and imprisoned on the way to independence. He was a symbol of unity during battle and brought the various tribes of Kenya together in a common struggle.
13. He was a well educated intellectual and a scholar and authored several books. He was the one who put out the first newspaper in which indigenous Kenyans voiced their grievances. He also wrote a comprehensive work on Kikuyu culture and lifestyle called Facing Mount Kenya. An ambitious and hardworking man, Kenyatta is fondly remembered as calling on Kenyans to return to the country once the fighting was over. He was highly acclaimed as a visionary leader and political figurehead. As president, Kenyatta’s leadership led to improvements in agriculture, tourism, the economy and health, among other things, which had been largely neglected during the struggle, reviving the country’s economy.
Death of Jomo Kenyatta
14. Kenyatta died peacefully in her sleep on August 22, 1978 in Mombasa. He was granted a state funeral attended by the heads of state. He will be remembered for his leading role towards independence as well as unifying Kenyans after independence and restoring peace and prosperity to the country. Most of Kenyatta’s policies were carried on by his Vice President, Daniel Arap-Moi, who succeeded him.
These are some of the remarkable facts about Jomo Kenyatta, former President of Kenya, African statesman and international figure.