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Why did Oginga Odinga break away from the Kenya African National Union?

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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.

Oginga Odinga broke away from the Kenya African National Union (KANU) in 1966 primarily due to fundamental ideological differences with President Jomo Kenyatta.12

While Kenyatta pursued a centrist, pro-Western, and essentially capitalist economic policy, Odinga held socialist views. Odinga believed that the government’s economic direction was neglecting the interests of the country's poorer citizens. Following these disagreements, he left KANU to establish a left-wing opposition party known as the Kenya People’s Union.12