Madaraka Day is a public holiday in Kenya which marks the day that the country took power from its British colonial masters and attained internal self-rule in  1963. Derived from the Swahili word for power, “Madaraka,” symbolises authority and is a proclamation of power .

Timeline of events leading to Kenya’s Independence

  • Kenya was part of the British East Africa protectorate from 1895 until it became a British crown colony in 1920.
  • In 1952 the Kikuyu people started the land disputes which led to the Mau Mau rebellion which effectively put the country into a state of emergency for seven years.
  • In 1957,the first direct elections took place, with the Kenya African National Union led by Jomo Kenyatta, an ethnic Kikuyu, forming the first government.
Jomo Kenyatta former leader of Kenya since it's independence in 1963. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation

Jomo Kenyatta former leader of Kenya since it’s independence in 1963. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation

  • On 1 June 1963, Kenya became a self-governing country when Jomo Kenyatta became the first prime minister of the country. However the full independence from British rule came on the 12th of  December in  1963 when Kenya became an independent nation.

Jomo Kenyatta, who is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation became the first leader of a unified, independent Kenya from it’s independence in 1963 to his death in 1978.He served first as the Prime Minister and then as the President of the Republic of Kenya.