In the realm of history, certain individuals possess a diverse tapestry of identities that deserve closer examination.
One such figure is Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, whose persona can be unraveled through the many names he was known by.
As a prominent political figure and a revered statesman, Kenyatta’s life story is a compelling exploration of the complexities of identity and its fluid nature.
From freedom fighter to statesman, from father of the nation to controversial leader, each name reveals a distinct aspect of his character and the complexities of his role in Kenya’s path to independence.
Mzee Jomo Kenyatta changed his names several time with reasons at at time. Here below is a writeup about when and why he chaanged his names, courtesy of https://www.oxfordreference.com/.
Jomo Kenyatta (1896–1978)
Kenya’s first prime minister and president (1963–1978), was born Kamau wa Muigai, adopted as Kamau wa Ngengi, baptized Johnstone Kamau, nicknamed Kenyatta, and took the pen name Jomo.
Born at the time the British annexed Kenya to their empire, young Kamau was orphaned in the famine that ravaged Kikuyuland at the turn of the twentieth century.
Disliking life under his uncle Ngengi, but intrigued by his grandfather Magana’s mastery of invisible powers, around the age of fourteen, he entered a Scottish mission school to learn white man’s magic.
He became a responsible member of the community in both Kikuyu and Christian ways, being circumcised in the mission clinic and then baptized.
Wanting to take the names John Peter but restricted to one only, Kamau first showed his famed skill with words by combining both in the single “Johnstone.”
To judge by his later ease in quoting Scripture, he was a keen student of the Bible, in the Gikuyu or Swahili languages.
He would have had the opportunity when staying with Maasai relatives during World War I to escape probable conscription into the carrier corps of porters.
These suffered terrible losses in supplying the British forces fighting in German East Africa, now Tanzania
About the Author
Isaac Mbugua is a Senior Journalist and Digital News Writer at Diaspora Messenger News Media
