Jomo Kenyatta – anti-colonial activist and first president of Kenya

African leaders

Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyatta was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who served as the first President of Kenya from 1964 until his death in 1978.

Born in 1891 in British East Africa (now Kenya), Kenyatta became involved in anti-colonial politics and activism in the 1920s and played a key role in Kenya’s independence movement.

He was imprisoned by the British for his involvement in the Mau Mau rebellion, a violent uprising against British colonial rule in Kenya.

After his release from prison, Kenyatta became the leader of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and led negotiations with the British for Kenya’s independence.

Jomo Kenyatta became the first Prime Minister of Kenya in 1963, and the country gained full independence from Britain in 12 December, 1963, with Kenyatta serving as its first President.

During his presidency, Kenyatta pursued policies of economic development and African socialism, but his administration was also marked by political repression and human rights abuses.