Jomo Kenyatta: Symbol of African Liberation

Jomo Kenyatta: Symbol of African Liberation On August 21, 1961, after nearly nine years in prison, Jomo Kenyatta walked free—no longer just a man, but the living symbol of Kenya’s independence struggle and Africa’s wider fight for liberation. His journey had begun earlier, in the 1940s, when he connected with Pan-African leaders like George Padmore and Kwame Nkrumah. At the 1945 Manchester Congress, he joined the call for immediate independence, tying Kenya’s cause to a united African struggle. Arrested during the Mau Mau Uprising in 1952, Kenyatta’s trial drew global attention, revealing the lengths colonial powers would go to silence African leadership. Yet even in captivity, his influence endured: in 1960, still imprisoned, he was elected president of the Kenya African National Union. When freedom came in 1963, Kenyatta rose as Kenya’s first Prime Minister, then President. His journey—from activist to prisoner to head of state—embodied the triumph of Pan-African ideals, giving A... Source: Sputnik Africa