How did Jomo Kenyatta build support for the Kenya African Union?

Jomo Kenyatta became president of the Kenya African Union (KAU) in 1947 after returning to Kenya the previous year. To build support for the party and organize a mass nationalist movement, he utilized the Kenya African Teachers College, which he directed as an alternative to government-run educational institutions.1

Kenyatta’s efforts focused on gaining a mass African following to challenge the colonial government, which was then dominated by unyielding European settler interests. He recognized that to maintain the allegiance of his followers, he had to produce tangible results in the struggle for political equality and land rights.21

While Kenyatta advocated for a peaceful transition to African majority rule, his leadership of the KAU occurred during a period of rising tension. He consistently sought to differentiate the KAU’s political activities from the violent tactics of the Mau Mau, which he publicly denounced. Despite his efforts to lead a peaceful movement, he was arrested in 1952 and subsequently imprisoned on charges of directing the Mau Mau movement, a conviction that was later widely denounced as a sham.2314