By James Wafula in Nairobi.
By the time Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta was dying in August 1978 having ruled for 15 years, he was one of Africa’s richest political elite with a vast fortune that include 1 million acres of prime land to multi-million shilling princely properties and businesses spread across the country.
Yet the old man from Kiambu was not born rich, indeed he was a poor man from a peasant family who managed an early primary education at Thogotho mission run by Italian Catholic missionaries.
His parents sent him to school to learn the ways of the white man so he could help them get back land snatched from them by the colonial government which set up the notorious white highlands.
On attaining the standard 5 grade in 1951 then known as Johnstone Kamau the future Kenyan president got a job at the Nairobi city council water department.
He was tasked with reading water meters around Nairobi suburbs and would ride a bicycle from his native Gatundu and earned a fixed salary of Kshs 450 per month, a lot of money that time.
Mr. Kamau was married to his first wife Wahu in accordance with traditional Kikuyu customs in 1945 and they bore two daughters and two sons one Margaret rose to become the first female black mayor of Nairobi in 1965. At the time Jomo had become president in 1963.
Its not clear at what time Mr. Johnstone Kamau decided to be called Jomo Kenyatta but by the time the agitated Kikuyu Farmers Association raised money to send him to London in the mid 1940’s to push for their land rights grabbed by colonial settlers, he was no longer called Johnstone Kamau!
Kenyatta spent a longer time in Europe more than his sponsors had envisaged using the time to read several courses in colleges and graduating in philosophy, history, religion, political science and economics using the cash he was given to traverse Europe and even visited Moscow in Russia.
During his time abroad Kenyatta met and married a white woman Edna with whom they bore two children, both boys. One was called Magina Kenyatta who died in a road accident. The other Peter is believed to be working for the BBC but has kept a low profile.
Kenyatta became president aged 75 and had married a younger woman Mama Ngina as third wife who bore him the son Uhuru, his favourite last born who is today the president preparing to retire from state house where he was born in 1961.
The Johnstone to Jomo story is a typical rags to riches story of one of Africa’s earliest big men who ruled with an iron hand as they amassed wealth with ruthless precision.
Uhuru the son never had to work for anything born in wealth and fame the bigger task being managing a vast business fortune that has kept growing by leaps and bounds.
Today Uhuru’s mother, a widow since 1978 is head of one of Africa’s richest political families second to Angola’s Dos Santos that has expanded immensely during the sons two term presidency now in its twilight.
Jomo would have been proud of his son who has expanded the family business empire to neighbours Uganda, Rwanda, DRC Congo and Ethiopia.
In Kenya, Uhuru virtually secured the entire coastline with his mothers multi-billion shilling business complex the Mama Ngina Beach One Stop centre that includes everything from banking to insurance, tours and travel firms, to airlines and cyber cafes. The complex was built after several low income kiosks run by locals were demolished.
In Lamu that has recently been refurbished the Kenyatta’s have established a strong business presence partnering with Safaricom and Equity bank to open a flagship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In Kampala and Kigali the Kenyatta milk flagship Brookeside is doing roaring business supplemented by a near dairy monopoly back home.
The Kenyattas have every reason to fear for the future if their successor is a hostile entity who could easily start scuttling the vast business empire in East Africa’s largest economy. Kenya is also one of the world’s most unequal societies second in the world to Brazil.
What has just happened in Sri Lanka were a popular uprising caused by the high cost of living has caused regime change is a wake up call even long ruling Ugandan strong man President Yoweri Museveni ■
