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Tom Mboya)
Tom Mboya (1930 - July 1969 ) was a Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta government. He was a son to Leonard Ndiege and Marcella Awour , and was born in 1930 at Kilimanbogo, Thika district Central province, Kenya. He was assassinated in July 1969 , while walking in a Nairobi street. He left behind a wife Pamela Mboya and two children. A street in Nairobi is named after him.
Education
He started schooling in 1939 at Kabaa Catholic Mission School, and later joined Catholic Secondary School for secondary education. He then took his form five and form six (British education program ) in Mangu High School. Shortly after this, he attended a two-year trade school and graduated in 1950 as a sanitary inspector . It wasn't however until 1955, when he got a chance to further his education after securing a scholarship from British govenment to attend Oxford University to study industrial management . Upon his graduation in 1956, he returned to Kenya, and join politics at a time when British government was getting back control from Mau Mau uprising. This may have been due to the fact that, Luo tribe were not viewed with suspicion by colonial government as they had not joined the receding Mau Mau uprising.
Politics
Mboya's political life started immediately after joining Nairobi City Council as an employee. An year after joining African Staff Association , he was elected president and immediately embarked at molding the association into a trade union named Kenya Labour Workers Union . This made his employer suspicious and was subsequently dismissed in 1953. He however was able to continue working for Kenya Labour Workers Union as a secretary-general. Upon returning from Britain, he contested and won a seat against incumbent C.M.G.Argwings-Kodhek to become the first African to join colonial Legislative Council. In 1957, he became very dissatisfied by the low number of local leaders (only eight out of fifty at the time) in Legislative council and decided to form his own party, People's Congress Party . At the same time, he developed a close relationship with Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. Both leaders were Pan-Africanists, a group that believed that Africa should operate as a single country and Africa countries borders were a creation of colonial governments. He was elected All-Africa Peoples Conference chairman at a conference convened in Makere University by Kwame Nkrumah. In 1960, People's Congress Party joined with KAU and the Kenya Independent Movement to form KANU in an attempt to form a party that goes above tribal politics and as a preparation for Lancaster House Conference . The merger left Mboya as a KANU secretary general and was also responsible to lead Lancaster delegates. After Kenya independence in 1963, Mboya became Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs . For some reason, he was later moved to Minister for Economic Planning and Development the following year.
Death
He retained this portfolio until his death when he was gunned down by Njenga Njeroge , who was convicted of the murder and hanged. Before he was executed he said: "Why do you pick me? Why not the big man?" The big man has never been exposed, but it was almost certainly someone who felt threatened by the prospect of Mboya becoming Kenyan President. A big squeamish appeared where two people were shot dead when Kenyatta later attended Mboya's burial and a mass demonstration against Kenyatta arose due to a perception that Mboya was killed by Kenyatta relatives as his huge political influence was a threat to their political careers.
Controversy
Some feel his to association with union mean he was close to USSR and could have landed him in problems with CIA. It is however likely that he decided to use labour unions because the colonial government did not allow full fledged political parties until late in 1950s. His friendship with pan-Africanists like Patrice Lumumba may not have helped either.
External links
Last updated: 05-23-2005 01:19:49
