Jomo Kenyatta Biography

Jomo Kenyatta was born in Ngenda, Kenya, in 1890, in a family of farmers who lived near the river Thiririka and bred sheep and goats. He belonged to the Kikuyu folk and following their age old traditions, his father kept many wives. In the small house, there were many people to take care and feed him. Jomo grew up in custody of his grandfather due to the death of his parents early in his childhood.

As a teenager, he tasted the bitter fruit of racism when he wanted to study at the Church of Scotland mission, but he was shamed and insulted there. Upon asking, the reason given to him was that African natives aren’t pure enough to study among the whites. However, he wasn’t good in studies and started assisting a carpenter to learn the skills. In 1914, Jomo moved to Nairobi and worked in an engineering firm for a brief time.

Around 1921, Africa was standing up against the white supremacy that persisted in East African countries and East Africa Association was formed by a Kikuyu man named Harry Thuku. Jomo joined in 1922, while working in a municipal office and one of the central goals of the organization was to take back the lands from the whites but the association got disbanded in 1925. Jomo and other activists regrouped and formed another group, Kikuyu Central Association, and just a few years later, Jomo was named the general secretary.

In order to gain more support from his countrymen, Jomo started a newspaper titled Muigwithania. The publication mostly carried content related to self-improvement for Africans and the government allowed it. In 1929, Kenyatta went to London to raise his voice against England’s proposed merger of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, which was not a good prospect for the future of Kikuyu people. But the top level British authorities refused to meet him. He got extremely upset and wrote a very angry letter to The Times, London, asking British to take back the proposal else the situation will be ‘unpleasant’.

Kenyan nationalist leaders started Kenya African National Union in 1960, and elected Jomo as the president, even though he was still in prison. In subsequent efforts, Kenya got its independence on December 12, 1963, and Kenyatta was elected as the first prime minister. A few years later, an amendment in the constitution took place, electing him as the president.

Jomo introduced the principals of liberalisation and staying true to his promises, he supported western investments in Kenya. His policies were effective and Kenya’s economy grew many folds in 70’s and 80’s. However, the wealth distribution was mostly limited to the elites and most of Kenya’s general population remained unaffected from the development. Jomo’s west friendly policies were praised heavily in western media.

Jomo married many women in his lifetime; the first one being Grace Wahu, with whom he had a son and a daughter. His second marriage with Edna Clarke bore him a son, and from his third marriage to Grace Wanjiku, he had one daughter. His final marriage was to Ngina Kenyatta, who is also frequently known as the first lady of Kenya and the most loved wife Jomo had. He named roads and monuments in her name and she bore him four children in total.

Jomo Kenyatta passed away on August 22, 1978, due to natural causes. He had suffered many illnesses during his life but managed to lead a long and healthy life and bid his farewell to the world at an old age of 86. The Prince of Wales, Charles was one of the key British people among many who attended his funeral.

Jomo Kenyatta was known for his love of traditional African music and dance, often participating in cultural performances during his time in office.

Despite his political stature, Kenyatta had a playful side and enjoyed telling jokes and anecdotes to friends and colleagues.

Kenyatta had a keen interest in agriculture and was known to personally tend to his farm and livestock in his free time.

He was a skilled polyglot, fluent in several languages including Swahili, English, and Kikuyu, which helped him communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Kenyatta was a passionate advocate for education and was actively involved in promoting literacy and educational initiatives throughout Kenya.