Kenyatta, Jomo

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Kenyan nationalist politician, prime minister from 1963, as well as the first president of Kenya from 1964 until his death. He led the Kenya African Union from 1947 (KANU from 1963) and was active in liberating Kenya from British rule.

A member of the Kikuyu ethnic group, Kenyatta was born near Fort Hall, son of a farmer. Brought up at a Church of Scotland mission, he joined the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA), devoted to recovery of Kikuyu lands from white settlers, and became its president. He spent some years in the UK, returning to Kenya in 1946. He became president of the Kenya African Union (successor to the banned KCA in 1947). In 1953 he was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for his management of the guerrilla organization Mau Mau, though some doubt has been cast on his complicity. Released to exile in northern Kenya in 1958, he was allowed to return to Kikuyuland in 1961 and became prime minister in 1963 (also president from 1964) of independent Kenya. His slogans were ‘Uhuru na moja’ (Freedom and unity) and ‘Harambee’ (Let's get going).

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