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Why did Jomo Kenyatta travel to London in 1929?
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Jomo Kenyatta
African statesman and nationalist Jomo Kenyatta was the first prime minister (1963–64) and then the first president (1964–78) of independent Kenya.
In 1929, Jomo Kenyatta traveled to London as a representative of the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) to protest a British commission's recommendation for a closer union of the three East African territories—Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika.12
The KCA viewed this proposed union as disastrous for the interests of the Kikuyu people, fearing it would empower white settler leaders and potentially lead to internal self-government that excluded African representation. Although Kenyatta went to London specifically to testify against this scheme, the secretary of state for the colonies refused to meet with him at that time. Ultimately, the British government did temporarily abandon its plans for the union.12