When it comes to Kenya’s history, one of the day’s best remembered (and even commemorated through our #KeJamhuri story collection) is 12th December 1963. This was our independence arena; the beginning of a new season in Kenya – a season of freedom. But a closer analysis of freedom and Kenya’s history reveals that despite the lowering of the Union Jack, Kenya’s freedom was only to a certain extent. Two years later, one of Kenya’s first and prominent freedom fighters was murdered for knowing and understanding too much. His name was Pio Gama Pinto and if there was a word that best described him, it would be radicalized.
Freedom Fighting for Two Nations
Born in Nairobi in 1927, Pio was of Goan descent. Sometime within 1935 his parents sent him to India for his education. Pio would spend a little over a decade in India, a time away that proved to be instrumental in his journey towards being a political activist. At the time, India was rife with revolutionary movements. The Goa liberation movement, through revolts, aimed to end Portuguese rule in Goa. Amid it all, Pio saw the zeal and took an interest in activism – specifically geared towards independence and socialism. He joined the Goan National Congress but fled when word went round that the police were searching for him with a warrant for his arrest. His participation in the liberation for Goa would not end here.
In 1949 Pio returned to Kenya where the independence tide was making its way ashore. He took up clerical jobs while establishing meaningful relationships with the likes of Bildad Kaggia, Achieng Oneko, and Fred Kubai. They say birds of a feather flock together, and this group may well be classified as one of the radicalized flocks in the lead up to Kenya’s jamhuri. During this time, Pio began wearing another hat – that of a journalist – when he became involved in the development of anti-colonial pamphlets advocating for uhuru. Further, he established The Uzwod, a Goan vernacular newspaper targeted at Goans living in Nairobi, coaxing them against Portuguese rule in Goa. One might imagine that with all this work, Pinto had amassed a sufficient amount of wealth, but this was not so. He believed that this was his duty, his life’s calling, and to him, his repayment would come through change – through freedom.
The Price of Freedom
The fifties would be a trying time for freedom fighters, and this was no different for Pio. In 1952 the colonial government declared a state of emergency and over the course of seven years, several political activists were detained. Months after he married Emma Pinto, Pio was detained in Manda Island in Lamu in 1954 after being round up as one of the Mau Mau suspects. He was categorized among the ‘most dangerous’ for two reasons: his political knowledge, and his influence and ability to spur a liberation movement. And if there’s one thing to take away from Pio’s detainment it’s that he was the only Asian detainee on the island. Segregation extended to detainment centres, and despite being on Manda with other detainees, he was separated from the rest. Pio lived as a prisoner here for four years before he was transferred to the Rift Valley for his final year in detainment. Half a decade away from political activism only fuelled his desire to work towards self-rule and freedom. In 1959 Pio met American freedom fighter Malcom X during Malcom’s visit to Kenya. The two had proactive conversations around injustices black people in Kenya and America faced and established a similar strategy that worked towards liberation.
The following year Pio joined the Kenya African National Union and founded the political party’s newspaper – Sauti ya KANU – in 1960. Through his journalistic abilities, Pio was able to campaign for KANU during the 1961 elections where KANU emerged as the winning party. Over the next two years, freedom was within reach and the impulse to attain it even stronger. Then 12th December 1963 came and all the efforts of political activists and freedom fighters – including Pio – bore fruit. But not quite so. Despite Kenyans finally taking control of land that was rightfully ours, there were still fractures in the independence political system. Pio, an avid advocate for socialism was not going to stay silent on this matter. He spoke up against prominent political figures, including Kenya’s first president, pushing for the demolition of capitalism in Kenya. He continued in this fight even when the odds seemed to be against him, even when he knew he was putting his life on the line. For Pio it was about the liberation of Kenyans. This all came to an end on 24th February 1965 when he was murdered and thus came to be labelled as independent Kenya’s first martyr.
Pio’s dedication to Kenya’s independence, his selflessness and consistent efforts towards a free nation and people cannot be erased. We honour him this Jamhuri Day for his life, his passion and his tireless pursuits.