1948 – Jomo Kenyatta Wins Political Victory in Kenya

On May 19, 1948, Jomo Kenyatta, a key architect of Kenya’s independence, won a major political victory when he was elected president of the Kenya African Union (KAU). This formalized his leadership of the nationalist movement pushing back against British colonial domination. Kenyatta had returned from London with a global perspective after studying at the London School of Economics under Bronislaw Malinowski. His leadership on May 19 marked a significant pivot toward mass mobilization and political organization within Kenya. It also laid the groundwork for the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s, which would shake the British Empire. Kenyatta’s election energized the Pan-African movement and drew international support for Kenya’s decolonization. The date stands as a milestone in the trajectory of African self-governance and international Black solidarity.