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Kenyatta Released

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Book cover The Politics of the Independence of Kenya

Part of the book series: Contemporary History in Context ((CHIC))

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Abstract

The new Governor, Sir Patrick Renison, set about trying to reorder his Council of Ministers in keeping with the Lancaster House formula without waiting for the Legco elections which would take over a year to organize. It proved more difficult than the Africans’ acceptance of Lancaster House might have led him to suppose. The first obstacle was Renison’s refusal to dismiss the existing African Minister, Musa Amalemba, who was regarded as a quisling by the elected members. But in the end, although Odinga would not accept office without Kenyatta and Mboya found himself obliged to follow suit, it was agreed that Kiano, Ngala and Muimi (a member of the Kamba tribe) should become Ministers with Taita Towett (a Kipsigis, one of the Kalenjin group of tribes) as an Assistant Minister of Agriculture.1

‘There were some people who thought Kenyatta was an old man with old ideas and perhaps old brains. This is a false view which ought to be completely forgotten.’ (Jomo Kenyatta at Lodwar meeting of political leaders, 23 March 1961)

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Notes and References

  1. Julius Kiano became Minister of Commerce and Industry, J. N. Muimi Minister of Health and Welfare and Ronald Ngala Minister of Labour, Social Security and Adult Education. Musa Amalemba remained Minister of Housing and Taita Towett became Assistant Minister of Agriculture.

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  2. Sunday Post, 27 March 1960.

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  3. Mboya Papers.

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  4. SP, 3 April 1960.

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  5. SP, 24 April 1960. Mboya also was reported as having said in private conversation that his call for civil disobedience had been made in order to counter a statement by Odinga in Accra that he was not genuinely in favour of Kenyatta’s release. PRO CO 822/2220. Special Branch Summary No. 5/60.

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  6. The British had been fearing that ‘a campaign of positive action is almost inevitable’ as early as the previous November and had studied precedents in India and Ghana to see how it might develop. Rhodes House Mss Afr s.2159 Manby Papers Box 2 M. C. Manby, ‘Memo from Special Branch. Positive Action in Kenya’, 12 November 1958.

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  33. Kasavubu had been for a short while the Burgomaster of a district of Léopoldville.

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  39. For these circumstances see Keith Kyle, Suez (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991).

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  43. This figure includes the related Embu and Meru tribes in the Kikuyu total.

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  57. Personal impressions.

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  60. Personal information. Nathoo had personal as well as public reasons for his reluctance to resign.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

    Keith Kyle (Visiting Professor of History)

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© 1999 Keith Kyle

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Kyle, K. (1999). Kenyatta Released. In: The Politics of the Independence of Kenya. Contemporary History in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230377707_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230377707_6

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-333-76098-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-230-37770-7

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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