Books The Untold Biography Of JOMO KENYATTA By BEST SELLING AUTHOR Peter Clarke

• Early Life and Education: Born around 1897 in Kiambu, Kenya, into a Kikuyu family. Details of his upbringing, education at mission schools, Alliance High School, and Makerere University, and formative influences.
• Early Activism: His early involvement in the Kikuyu Central Association, trip to London in 1929 to lobby for Kikuyu land rights, studies in Moscow and London, publication of "Facing Mount Kenya" (1938) analyzing Kikuyu culture.
• Political Rise: Leadership of the Kenya African Union from 1947, growing prominence in nationalist and anti-colonial movements, his arrest and imprisonment during the Mau Mau uprising allegations in the 1950s.
• Imprisonment and Release: User of this period for political organizing and international advocacy, his release in 1961 and role in negotiating Kenya's independence.
• Kenya's First Leader: Becoming Prime Minister in 1963 and President in 1964, efforts to unify diverse ethnic groups, move towards a centralized government and Kenya African National Union (KANU) dominance, and managing ethnic tensions.
• Economic and Social Policies: Promotion of capitalist economic policies, Africanisation, rural development, infrastructure, and education; challenges balancing modernization with traditional structures.
• Foreign Policy: Maintaining ties with Western powers during the Cold War, membership in the Commonwealth and Organization of African Unity, and navigating regional African politics.
• Legacy and Controversies: Revered as Father of the Nation ("Mzee"), praised for nation-building but criticized for authoritarian tendencies, ethnic favoritism, corruption, and suppression of dissent.
• Personal Life: His marriages, including to Grace Wahu, and family life, including son Uhuru Kenyatta’s later presidency.
• Cultural Impact: Iconic status in Kenya and Africa, reflections on his symbolic importance and contested legacy.

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