The British colony of Kenya achieved independence after political movements, such as the Kenya African Union, advocated for a peaceful transition to African majority rule, and armed resistance, as seen in the Mau Mau Rebellion, put pressure on the British colonial administration. The British attempted to address some of the widespread grievances of Kenya’s people with incremental political reforms, and the armed rebellion demonstrated that a continued colonial presence in Kenya would come at too high a cost to Britain, prompting the colonial government to hasten its decolonization efforts. Kenya became fully independent on December 12, 1963, with Jomo Kenyatta as prime minister. A year later Kenya became a republic, with Kenyatta as president and Oginga Odinga as vice president.
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