One small silver lining from the Second World War was the paradigm shift experienced by Kenyan independence activists who had followed the quest for supremacy between the world’s superpowers. These nationalists became emboldened by ideas of liberation. Equally, they were ready to use their tools of trade to make independence an actuality. In 1944, politicians, war veterans, union workers, and journalists came together to form the Kenya African Study Union. The name signified that the consortium was mostly made up of educated African elites. This group coordinated the representation of African interests. The word ‘Study’ was later dropped from the name in an effort by the union to ground itself as a political party rather than an educationalist one.  

Discrimination against African War Veterans 

Grievances increased in the aftermath of the war as the government rewarded British army veterans with large tracts of land. At the same time, African soldiers received little to no remuneration for their services to the crown. This injustice only widened the already-existing divide between the races. And it spurred the Kenya African Union (KAU) into establishing a newspaper to lament its outrage. Sauti ya Mwafrika, created in 1945, resulted from this discrimination. The paper became the official organ of the Union and was first edited by KAU’s secretary general, Francis Khamisi.  

Khamisi had initially worked as the editor of the pro-government newspaper Baraza before leaving to become one of the founding members of KAU. He put his journalism skills to use for the union until 1947. His acceptance of a government policy aimed at creating a closer union among the three East African territories ostracized him from KAU leadership. 

Division within the Union 

Sauti ya Mwafrika was published in both English and Swahili and was scheduled as a monthly. The paper’s name was telling of the Union’s intent to give Africans a voice. But internal party politics caused disunity as members from other communities viewed KAU as a predominantly Kikuyu movement. The publication became sporadic, and the editorial lead changed frequently. Tom Mbotela, the Union’s vice president, took over editing duties from Khamisi and was later replaced by treasurer W.W.W. Awori. KAU’s backroom power struggles resulted in Sauti ya Mwafrika’s failure to establish itself as a leading nationalist newspaper.  

As leadership in the Union continued to splinter, some members branched out to start other publications. In 1946, KAU’s president, James Gichuru, established a rival publication named African Leader. He co-edited this paper with Joseph Otiende who was KAU’s newly elected vice president. KAU failed to garner support for its cause as a nationalist movement. Afterwards, this led to a proliferation of vernacular newspapers and new political groups towards the end of the forties. During this period, the idea of gaining independence through peaceful means began to feel like a utopian fantasy for some of the union members. These factors drove KAU to the ground as its operations lulled and Sauti ya Mwafrika ceased publication in 1949.  

Operation Jock Scott 

After a two-year dormancy, both party and paper were revived by members who wanted to take a more radical approach to the liberation struggle. Fred Kubai edited the paper for a year before passing the baton to J.D. Kali in 1952.  

The final publications of Sauti ya Mwafrika were uncompromisingly forthright. They impressed the need to become more aggressive to achieve meaningful change. Violence escalated in the colony as Africans became emboldened to attack government loyalists in their midst. In a bid to suppress the revolt, a state of emergency was declared in October 1952. KAU’s leaders were rounded up and imprisoned, and Sauti ya Mwafrika was banned from publication. But even these efforts could not quell the surge already in motion towards independence.   

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