Cold War Allegiances in Kenya

With the Lancaster House conference in progress, it became abundantly clear that Kenya’s independence was not only inevitable but fast approaching. This sectioned it out as a new arena for the Cold War.

From as early as 1956 Mboya had started gaining the attention of the Western Bloc, specifically America. His charisma struck a chord with American leaders and he soon leveraged on it. In 1959, Mboya under the sponsorship of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) was making a speaking tour in America while trying to garner scholarships for impoverished East African scholars as well as raising awareness on the plight of Africans in Kenya. As fate would have it, he crossed paths with none other than John F. Kennedy at a conference on international affairs. On the campaign trail at the time, Kennedy gave Mboya a listening ear and pledged his support.

Together with other philanthropists including businessman William Scheinman, former baseball star Jackie Robinson, singer Harry Belafonte, and actor Sidney Poitier. Along with several others, they created the African American Students Foundation (AASF), which raised funds for travel and living expenses. So began the Kennedy Airlift; a programme through which hundreds of Kenyans secured scholarship opportunities abroad. Beneficiaries include Wangari Maathai, Barack Obama Sr., Maina wa Kinyatti, George Saitoti, Prof. Aggrey Okumu and Prof. Miriam Were.

On a weekend recess of the Lancaster House Conference, Oginga Odinga, travelled to East Germany. Although it had been no secret, a British newspaper called it ‘a Secret Trip to see [the] Reds’. Afterwards he was invited to Yugoslavia by President Tito. Although he knew the backlash that would come with him accepting such a trip, he embarked on it nonetheless as he believed it held promise to help the Kenyan cause. He explained the plight to President Tito in their brief meeting and they agreed to work together. Afterwards, Oginga Odinga went to Egypt where he met President Nasser. He talked to him about starting an African Press that would report for the African and Nasser vowed to help.

As he travelled back to the country, the bad press he had accumulated as a result of his trips started to catch up with him. He experienced rigorous searches both in London and the Embakasi Airport. Regardless of this, when he was invited to China, he went. He spoke at public rallies and to political leaders of the Eastern Bloc countries. Oginga traveled via Mongolia to the Soviet Union next. In all these countries, he was impressed by the infrastructure and government systems and said as much when he was probed about the visits in the LegCo chambers.

Most importantly, Oginga Odinga also organized airlift programs for scholars to study in communist countries. Scholarships were availed in East Germany, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, North Korea and Bulgaria. However, because Kenya was closed off from contact with these states, the students had to travel via Cairo or London and his connection with president Nasser eased this through. In Not Yet Uhuru he says it was not easy for the students to make these journeys for if they were found, their passports would have been impounded and they would even face arrest. By independence, close to 1000 students had taken up scholarships in socialist countries.

In the course of the Lancaster talks, presenting a united front helped wring concessions from the government. Even just the KIM and KNP unity had allowed them to make great strides towards Independence. In Not Yet Uhuru, Oginga asserts that the plan to launch KANU was hatched at Dr Kiano’s house in Riruta in the presence of other nationalists including James Gichuru. They decided to call the party Kenya African National Union (KANU) so as not to deviate from the original KAU. However, it was prudent of them to name it the Uhuru Party first. As they drafted a new constitution, they decided it was time to hold the first party conference.