It is December 12 again. A day that arguably stands above most of the holidays in the Kenyan political calendar given its historical importance.
This day, in 1963, Kenya attained her independence, and exactly a year later, the country became a Jamhuri, a republic, and was admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations, with Jomo Kenyatta, previously serving as the Prime Minister, being sworn in as the first President.
Jamhuri Day has, since then, been celebrated each year, with each of the succeeding presidents leading the nation in looking back and celebrating the monumental importance of December 12.
But before we delve into what exactly happened on Jamhuri Day in 1963, it will be prudent to look back and study key events that preceded the birthday of the Republic of Kenya.
In the 1950s, several events that finally culminated in an internal rule in mid-1963 took place. But it was at the beginning of the 1960s that Kenya, with pivotal political happenings, greatly sped towards its independence.
The Lancaster Conference and release of Kapenguria Six
Notably, there was a constitutional conference that was held in Lancaster House in June 1960, and in May, Kenyatta, in absentia, was elected as president of the new national party, the Kenya African National Union.
In August 1961, Kenyatta and his fellow inmates [the Kapenguria Six] were released from detention in Maralal, and in February 1962, Kenyatta, leading Kenya’s delegation at the second Lancaster House conference, demanded a date when Kenya would gain full independence.
On June 1, 1963, famously known as Madaraka Day, Kenya achieved internal rule and a new constitution came into effect, with Kenyatta being sworn in as the Prime Minister.
The Kenyan flag, with a combination of the colours of the ruling party (KANU) and KADU with a shield together with a cross, spears, and coat of arms, was officially introduced on July 26 before the national anthem in September.
On December 12, 1963, Kenya gained its full independence, with the Duke of Edinburgh handing over the instruments of power to the founding president.
A draft constitution was completed in October 1964 before Kenya became a republic, and on December 10, Kenya’s iconic independence and post-independence figure, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was named vice president.
Pre-independence elections
There were two major elections before independence, and they pitted KANU, KADU, and some other parties that were deemed fringe.
KANU was by far the most popular party given its ethnic composition, which consisted of Agikuyu and Luo. KANU also had a longer history compared to the other parties, which explained its comparative strength.
KANU underwent several name evolutions from the 1940s due to the political climate in the country until it was formally known as KANU on May 14, 1960.
Being the biggest party in the pre-colonial period and when Kenya was about to gain full independence, its activities attracted the scrutiny of the reigning colonial power and its African supporters almost in equal measure.
Kenyatta, after he was released in 1961, led KANU in the elections of that year, in which they ended up winning a majority, 67.50% of the popular vote.
The Jogoo Party emerged as the winner in the contest for legislative seats since they claimed the majority positions in the subsequent 1963 elections. This election was different from 1961, given that, by constitution, Kenya’s legislature was bicameral.
KANU, who faced somewhat stiff competition from the African People’s Party and KADU, won 83 of the 124 seats in the House of Representatives and 18 of the 38 in the Upper House. Other fringe parties that contested include: Baluhya Political Union with five candidates, Coast People’s Party with three contestants, and 98 candidates who stood as independents.
The win in these polls meant that when Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, KANU’s Kenyatta became the first Prime Minister.
The 1963 elections were the last before independence, but some seats were left vacant. Five seats in the lower house and three in the Senate were not filled because of the Kenya-Somali border war in the Northern Frontier Districts.
Dissolution of KADU
This was one of the biggest political events in the country as KADU, the opposition party that had campaigned on a platform of Majimboism in the 1963 elections, dissolved and joined KANU.
This dissolution was orchestrated by Tom Mboya, then Legal and Justice Minister, who persuaded KADU’s hierarchy, consisting of Daniel Moi, Ronald Ngala, and Masinde Muliro, to join the governing party.
This political move cleared the way for Kenya to become a republic on December 12, the first anniversary of the country’s independence.
All those are chains of high-profile events that led to a major day for Kenya, Jamhuri Day.
Happy 60th Jamhuri Day!
