The Politics of the Independence of Kenya (Contemporary History in Context)

As with his critically acclaimed book on Suez, Keith Kyle revisits as a scholar ground that he first covered as a print and television journalist. After three introductory chapters covering the years 1895-1957, the core of the book examines in lively detail how Kenya moved from Mau Mau trauma to national freedom. The immediacy of the eye-witness, which older readers will remember from television reports, is now combined with the fruits of reflection and meticulous archival research to create a unique authoritative study of this vital period for Kenya, for Africa and for the British Empire. "The remarkable story of how Kenya travelled, in a very few years, from the trauma of Mau Mau to peaceful independence is retold with, for the first time, full access to the official documents. It is a story of strong personalities - of Jomo Kenyatta, after nine years of prison and restriction, emerging as the saviour of his country; of Tom Mboya, the immensely talented young man who outdebated, outmanoeuvred and outshone whites and blacks alike, but who generated an amazing degree of hatred and died by an assassin's bullet; of Iain Macleod, who made the crucial recognition that Kenya was a black African country; and of Malcolm MacDonald, without whom it could still have all ended in disaster." "Keith Kyle reported from Kenya on BBC Television during these stirring events. He also collected research material which he now puts to use alongside the many other sources only recently made available."--BOOK JACKET "In October 1962 the world went to the brink of Armageddon. This study provides an archive-based account of the Cuban missile crisis from the British perspective. The diplomatic, military and intelligence dimensions of British policy are scrutinised. New material is presented and existing interpretations of UK-US relations at this crucial moment are reassessed. The book contributes a new aspect to the literature on the Cuban missile crisis by exploring where the views of Washington and its closest ally converged and diverged."--BOOK JACKET. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Foundation of Kenya Colony....Pages 3-24 The Rise of African Nationalism....Pages 25-44 The Politics of Mau Mau....Pages 45-65 Front Matter....Pages 67-67 Tearing Down Lyttelton....Pages 69-90 The Bridge-Player....Pages 91-110 Kenyatta Released....Pages 111-135 Majimbo....Pages 136-159 KANU Triumphant....Pages 160-178 Uhuru na Harambee....Pages 179-196 Epilogue....Pages 197-204 Back Matter....Pages 205-258 A journalist from Kenya for BBC during the events and best known now for his television series Suez , Kyle recounts how the African country moved from the trauma of Mau Mau to peaceful independence in a very few years. Mostly he focuses on the personalities, such as Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, Iain Macleod, and Malcolm MacDonald. He has had full access to the official documents to augment his own experience. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) "The essays collected here explore the popular press since 1896 - from Harmsworth's Daily Mail to Maxwell's Mirror. The history of the popular press has always been about more than big headlines and big profit margins. Personal ambition, partisan loyalty, institutional rivalry, and public accountability join commercial opportunism as the book's recurrent themes."--Jacket The essays in this collection explore the popular press from Harmsworth's Daily Mail to Maxwell's Mirror. Topics include: early dealings with the BBC; the role of photojournalism; the contribution of Reuters; and the roots of financial journalism The core of this book examines in detail how Kenya moved from Mau Mau trauma to national freedom. The immediacy of the eye witness is combined with archival research to create a study of this vital period for Kenya