It has been several decades after Kenya celebrated the first Madaraka Day – the day of internal self-rule. Still, many wonder why we still commemorate this day. The answer to this lies in history which reveals years of side-lining and oppression. The eventual breakthroughs make this day all the more special and significant. 

The history of Madaraka Day begins in 1907, with the newly formed Legislative Council (LegCo). 

This was 12 years after the formation of the Imperial British East Africa Company. This council advised the British administration on how to run the protectorate. Despite LegCo’s mandate to administer a geographical region belonging to African communities, the first council consisted solely of appointed European members. Namely, the British colonial governor, six colonial administrators as official members, and two white settlers as unofficial members. Indian members acquired memberships starting in 1909 and held only one seat. Nonetheless, this form of representation was denied to the African majority.  

In 1911, the settler community demanded the right to elect the Council’s European members. These members would typically receive appointments from the government. This request was granted in March 1920 when the first general election was held by this community. This became the only election held before protectorate status was shed on 23rd July and the name Kenya selected for the new colony. All the members elected were European, with two Indians and one Arab nominated into the council. Yet again, Africans were not offered a seat at the table.  

The first small win for Africans came about in 1944 when Eliud Mathu became the first African nominated into LegCo. By then, close to four decades had passed since the creation of the council. Mathu also became the first African nominated to a legislative council in East Africa, shattering the glass ceiling even beyond the Kenyan borders. This was an important first step, but not enough to uphold the tenets of democracy. Africans, who made up over 75% of the national population, demanded the right to vote in their council members. 

Continued agitation on the political front – as well as the Mau Mau uprising and consequent declaration of the 1952 State of Emergency – yielded fruit when Africans acquired voting rights in 1957. But that year’s general election was an anomaly and the ‘one person one vote’ principle fell by the wayside. To begin with, wealth, education, and public service limited the Africans granted the right to vote. In addition, the higher one ranked on the socioeconomic ladder, the more votes they had. Some voters had as many as five votes to cast. 

Nonetheless, the 1957 general election was monumental in consolidating the progress made towards independence. There was a growing political consciousness around the country, and with it, the first eight Africans entered the LegCo through the ballot box. This set the pace for the 1961 general election, as the number of registered African voters shot up drastically from approximately 150,000 to over 1.3 million, making up 96% of the total registered voters. It was during the 1961 elections that Africans, for the first time, had a majority number of seats in the council. 

The final general election in the Kenya colony took place in May 1963. By this time, constitutional frameworks for independence from the Lancaster House Conference were in place. Additionally, the position of Prime Minister now existed for an African Head of State. Jomo Kenyatta was elected to this position, vesting in him the ability to preside over the country’s first internal government. The Lancaster Constitution also stipulated that the National Assembly succeed the Legislative Council. 

The agreement to the independence constitution came to fruition on 1st June 1963. This day marked the ratification of Kenya’s internal self-rule and was the first step towards putting an end to colonial rule. As the nation proclaimed autonomy over its leadership, the name Madaraka Day was coined for this date – derived from the Swahili word that means ‘power’. 

 

#KeMadaraka 

A year later, Kenya celebrated its first Madaraka Day in pomp and colour in a new independence era…