How did KANU and KADU differ over the kind of government Kenya should have?

The Kenya African National Union (KANU) and the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) held fundamentally different visions for the structure of Kenya's post-independence government:

• KANU: Led by figures such as Jomo Kenyatta, KANU advocated for a strong, centralized government to unify the nation.12
• KADU: Founded by Ronald Ngala and Daniel arap Moi, KADU argued that a decentralized government was necessary to protect ethnic interests. The party was particularly concerned about the potential for Kikuyu domination within a centralized system.23

These ideological differences defined the political landscape leading up to independence in 1963. While the two parties formed a coalition government in 1962, the centralized model ultimately prevailed. By 1964, when Kenya became a republic, most KADU members had joined KANU, and KADU ceased to exist as an independent political entity.23