Jomo Kenyatta: President of Kenya (World Leaders Past and Present) [Library Binding]

Dennis Wepman (Author)

Product Details

• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub (L) (August 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877545758
• ISBN-13: 978-0877545750
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,126,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Flaming Spear of Kenya, February 12, 2012

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E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jomo Kenyatta: President of Kenya (World Leaders Past and Present) (Library Binding)

This book is part of a Chelsea House Young Adult (YA) series called "World Leaders Past & Present." All of the books contain the introductory essay, "On Leadership" by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. This essay alone is worth the price of the book and I wish all world leaders would read it. I've read several of the 'World Leaders' books now--they're quick reads and the writing is uniformly good. This particular volume on Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's founding father was a complete eye-opener. I knew next-to-nothing about the African Independence Movement, and this book provided a solid beginning to my education.

As the author puts it, "[Kenyatta's] life had spanned the whole period of colonialism in Kenya; he had seen the English in and out." He began his life in a Kikuyu village in 1894, and if the English had not attempted their massive land grab of the rich and exceptionally fertile district of Kenya, Kenyatta might have remained a shepherd and farmer for the rest of his life.

When he was about ten, Kamau wa Ngengi (Kenyatta's original name) came down with a serious illness and his family took him to a Church of Scotland mission, in hope of saving his life. This was his first contact with the foreigners, and after he was healed and returned to his village, Kenyatta pondered on the white man's mystery and his power. "The village and his father's herds could not hold him. He ran away. It was a decision that changed the path of his life--and the history of Africa."

Kenyatta persuaded the missionaries to take him in by claiming to be an orphan. He was a quick student, and by age 13 was a fluent English speaker.

As an adult, Kenyatta spent many years abroad, mainly in England but also in Germany and Russia, as a passionate advocate for his people. In his own writings, he said: "One of the great affronts to human dignity, which I have always opposed, is that of racialism. Never a rational attribute of mankind, this has become an engineered burden on the whole cause of humanity, inflicted by the weakness of arrogance, by opportunities for rewarding domination, and by its effectiveness as a tool of political intrigue."

When Jomo Kenyatta finally became prime minister of a free Kenya in 1963, he had the support of all of his country's tribesmen, not just the Kikuyu. "The new prime minister made a solemn vow as he took office. He would not, he promised, be a prime minister for the Kikuyu alone. 'My work,' he said, 'is for the African people.'"

If only more African leaders had taken that vow upon reaching office!

This book balances its praise of Kenya's first prime minister, with a candid review of his faults. The author embeds Kenyatta's biography in history of England's African colonialism, and the reaction of the native people against their attempts at control. Although Kenyatta was never directly linked to the Mau Mau, he was ultimately sent to prison by the British for refusing to condemn the terrorist organization's bloody tactics.