How UHURU’s father MZEE JOMO KENYATTA administered evil oaths to Kikuyus on his farm and caused divisions between Kikuyus and Luos.

 

By ODHIAMBO OPIYO.

44 years since the death of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. Mzee Baba wa Taifa was a good man who became a very bad man. He cemented tribalism through evil oaths that involved people walking naked on his farm. 

In the early colonial period, Kikuyus dominated African politics whose epicenter was Nairobi. They were the dominant Africans in Nairobi working in the colonial civil service, operating businesses, and taking part in political agitation.

Later they were joined by Luos who had embraced waged Labour and moved to Nairobi and its environs in search of employment. The educated ones were hired to work in the civil service while those without education were hired to work on farms in places around Nairobi such as Kilimambogo and Thika.

This interaction resulted in close political relations for example the East African Association formed in 1921 and KAU formed in 1944 in which office holders were mainly Kikuyus and Luos.

Then the Mau Mau Emergency occurred. Kikuyus were banned from active politics and most of their businesses closed down on suspicion of funding Mau Mau. Many couldn’t get jobs and were also restricted from joining political organisations.

This left a gap in the political and business sphere that was quickly filled by Luos. Leaders such as Odinga, Mboya, and Argwings-Kodhek emerged and became the new faces of political agitation in Kenya replacing Kikuyu leaders such as Kenyatta, Gathigira. 

It was also during this period that Luo businesses thrived in Nairobi as the British propagated tribalism through divide and rule.

The lifting of the state of Emergency in 1960 came with a great deal of rivalry as Kikuyus and their leaders such as Kenyatta returned to reclaim their place in the political and business spheres. 

Kenyatta really loved Jaramogi but was suspicious of Mboya. However the British never liked Odinga because of his anti-European stand and contacts with socialist countries which they felt presented a threat to the huge White settler population in Kenya. They, therefore, turned Kenyatta against Odinga and drew him towards Mboya. 

Kenyatta soon mastered this British tactic of divide and rule where he felt that one tribe was superior to the others while also enriching himself. Soon he kicked out Odinga a man who had fought for his freedom. 

For a Luo, you had to be foolish and rudderless to survive in Kenyatta’s government. 

Any brilliant one was considered a threat. It didn’t matter whether you were his staunch supporter. Sycophants like Mboya were quickly despatched to Sayun because they were brilliant and harboured ambitions. It was after Mboya’s death that he began administering evil oaths on his farm.

 Uhuru has tried to correct the wrongs of his father but It will take time to heal this rift between Luos and Kikuyus because his father cemented it with evil spirits.