Aviator
Elder Lister
A tyrant died. It was the beginning of freedom.
Koigi wa Wamwere's take on Jomo Kenyatta
www.the-star.co.ke
Indeed I grew up hero-worshipping Kenyatta as the Moses of black people who would rescue Africans from the Egypt of white colonialism and deliver them to the Promised Land of freedom and independence. To many Africans, the name Kenyatta was synonymous with the word freedom.
Later in life, after meeting Jaramogi Oginga Odinga I learnt that for playing contradictory roles in history, Kenyatta had more than one personality.
When fighting for independence, Kenyatta was a freedom fighter and a hero of Africans everywhere. When he became President and turned his back against freedom and democracy, he became a king, dictator for life and an anti-hero of downtrodden Kenyans.
During the struggle for freedom, Kenyatta was my personal hero who symbolised all the good that I valued. To hear him and other freedom fighters like Mboya, Odinga and Kaggia speak, at the tender age of 12 and 13 years, I would travel 30 kilometres from our forest village Rugongo to Nakuru town barefoot.
But when Kenyatta became President, instead of creating democracy and promoting freedom, he championed one party, one man rule.
Indeed, the person who had symbolised everything good that I dreamt of, Kenyatta became a traitor of freedom and democracy.
Yes, the person whose freedom had become the dream of my life became my detainer and arch enemy of my personal freedom. As a champion of dictatorship, he also became the enemy of the nation, freedom and democracy.
After independence, it was tragic that instead of Kenyatta creating democracy for Kenya, he terrorised Kenyans with dictatorship.
Koigi wa Wamwere's take on Jomo Kenyatta
President Jomo Kenyatta Was Both A Friend And Enemy Of Freedom
From childhood I knew Kenyatta as a nationalist liberator of Kenyans whom the Kikuyu also calledking’i waandyairy(theking of black people).Indeed I grew up hero-worshipping Kenyatta as the Moses of black people who would rescue Africans from the Egypt of white colonialism and deliver them to the...
Indeed I grew up hero-worshipping Kenyatta as the Moses of black people who would rescue Africans from the Egypt of white colonialism and deliver them to the Promised Land of freedom and independence. To many Africans, the name Kenyatta was synonymous with the word freedom.
Later in life, after meeting Jaramogi Oginga Odinga I learnt that for playing contradictory roles in history, Kenyatta had more than one personality.
When fighting for independence, Kenyatta was a freedom fighter and a hero of Africans everywhere. When he became President and turned his back against freedom and democracy, he became a king, dictator for life and an anti-hero of downtrodden Kenyans.
During the struggle for freedom, Kenyatta was my personal hero who symbolised all the good that I valued. To hear him and other freedom fighters like Mboya, Odinga and Kaggia speak, at the tender age of 12 and 13 years, I would travel 30 kilometres from our forest village Rugongo to Nakuru town barefoot.
But when Kenyatta became President, instead of creating democracy and promoting freedom, he championed one party, one man rule.
Indeed, the person who had symbolised everything good that I dreamt of, Kenyatta became a traitor of freedom and democracy.
Yes, the person whose freedom had become the dream of my life became my detainer and arch enemy of my personal freedom. As a champion of dictatorship, he also became the enemy of the nation, freedom and democracy.
After independence, it was tragic that instead of Kenyatta creating democracy for Kenya, he terrorised Kenyans with dictatorship.
