Politics
Jomo Kenyatta
First President of Kenya
Born 1897 · Died 1978
Photo: Pridan Moshe · Public domain
Jomo Kenyatta led Kenya to independence from Britain in 1963 and served as its first president until his death. He spent nine years in detention before independence, accused of leading the Mau Mau uprising.
Key achievements
- First President of Kenya, 1964–1978
- Led Kenya to independence from Britain in 1963
- Wrote Facing Mount Kenya, a classic of African ethnography
Universities
London, Bloomsbury
Studied at UCL in the 1930s before moving to the LSE to study anthropology under Bronisław Malinowski.
London, Holborn
Studied social anthropology, and his thesis was published as the book Facing Mount Kenya in 1938.
Facts
- His anthropology thesis, published as Facing Mount Kenya, is still read as an account of Kikuyu society written from inside it.
- He worked as an extra in the film Sanders of the River while a student in London to help pay his way.
- Kenya's capital airport and its principal university institutions carry his name.
Photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.