Page 143 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

28 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Jomo Kenyatta on the Kenya African Union, 1952

During much of the first half of the twentieth century, Whether it is a chief, headman or labourer he needs
Jomo Kenyatta worked to free Kenya from British colo- in these days increased salary. He needs a salary that
nial rule, and he became Kenya’s first prime minister compares with a salary of a European who does
and president in 1963. In the excerpt below, from a equal work.We will never get our freedom unless we
speech he made at the Kenya Africa Union Meeting succeed in this issue.We do not want equal pay for
(KAU) in Nyeri, Kenya, on 26 July 1952, Kenyatta equal work tomorrow—we want it right now.Those
explains why the KAU was far different from the mili- who profess to be just must realize that this is the
tant Mau Mau group, which was responsible for mur- foundation of justice. It has never been known in
ders of white settlers. history that a country prospers without equality.We
despise bribery and corruption, those two words
. . . I want you to know the purpose of K.A.U. It is
that the European repeatedly refers to. Bribery and
the biggest purpose the African has. It involves
corruption is prevalent in this country, but I am not
every African in Kenya and it is their mouthpiece
surprised. As long as a people are held down, cor-
which asks for freedom. K.A.U. is you and you are
ruption is sure to rise and the only answer to this is
the K.A.U. If we united now, each and every one of
a policy of equality. If we work as one, we must
us, and each tribe to another, we will cause the
succeed.
implementation in this country of that which the
Our country today is in a bad state for its land is
European calls democracy. True democracy has no
full of fools—and fools in a country delay the inde-
colour distinction. It does not choose between black
pendence of its people. K.A.U. seeks to remedy this
and white.We are here in this tremendous gathering
situation and I tell you now it despises thieving, rob-
under the K.A.U. flag to find which road leads us
bery and murder for these practices ruin our country.
from darkness into democracy. In order to find it we
I say this because if one man steals, or two men steal,
Africans must first achieve the right to elect our own
there are people sitting close by lapping up informa-
representatives. That is surely the first principle of
tion, who say the whole tribe is bad because a theft
democracy. We are the only race in Kenya which
has been committed.Those people are wrecking our
does not elect its own representatives in the Legis-
chances of advancement.They will prevent us getting
lature and we are going to set about to rectify this
freedom. If I have my own way, let me tell you I
situation.We feel we are dominated by a handful of
would butcher the criminal, and there are more crim-
others who refuse to be just. God said this is our
inals than one in more senses than one. The police-
land. Land in which we are to flourish as a people.
man must arrest an offender, a man who is purely an
We are not worried that other races are here with us
offender, but he must not go about picking up people
in our country, but we insist that we are the leaders
with a small horn of liquor in their hands and march
here, and what we want we insist we get. We want
them in procession with his fellow policemen to
our cattle to get fat on our land so that our children
Government and say he has got a Mau Mau amongst
grow up in prosperity; we do not want that far
the Kikuyu people.The plain clothes man who hides
removed to feed others. He who has ears should
in the hedges must, I demand, get the truth of our
now hear that K.A.U. claims this land as its own gift
words before he flies to Government to present them
from God and I wish those who are black, white or
with false information. I ask this of them who are in
brown at this meeting to know this. K.A.U. speaks
the meeting to take heed of my words and do their
in daylight. He who calls us the Mau Mau is not
work properly and justly. . .
truthful. We do not know this thing Mau Mau. We
Source: Lincoln,W. B. (1968). Documents in world history, 1945–1967 (pp. 196–197).
want to prosper as a nation, and as a nation we San Francisco: Chandler Publishing Company.
demand equality, that is equal pay for equal work.