Uhuru na Kenyatta: White Settlers and the Symbolism of Kenya's Independence Day Events

Abstract

In December 1963 Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom. To mark the birth of a new nation the new Kenyan government, in collaboration with the retreating colonial government, arranged several celebratory events, from a flag ceremony to dances and sporting occasions, and set about creating new national symbols. Many of the events and symbols organised to celebrate Kenya's independence closely followed precedents laid down across the former British Empire when other nations, starting with India in 1947, won their independence. National symbols like the new flag and coat-of-arms also conveyed similar themes to those of other newly independent nations, especially other African nations. Unsurprisingly Independence Day was, on an immediate level, about the rejection of the colonial order and the triumph of African nationalism. It was also about asserting the unity of Kenyan Africans as a people and about underlining the legitimacy of the new regime. However, one thing that made Kenya's independence different from those that had gone before was the presence of a residual, and still economically powerful, white settler population. This article explores the messages that Independence Day sent to these Europeans, their participation in events and their responses to it. It reveals that white settlers were sent predominantly pacific and inclusive messages on Independence Day, messages that reflected the immediate political agenda of the new government.