First, a basic background. After years of British Colonial rule, East Africa got its independence in the early 1960s. North of lake Victoria, the land inhabited largely by the Buganda people, became known as Uganda. The lands east of the lake had already been split into two regions. The southern colony, which had been given to the Germans for a short time, was named after its lake Tanganyika. When it achieved its independence it absorbed the largely Muslim island of Zanzibar and became known as Tanzania. The northern colony was inhabited by some 40 tribes, the most populous being the Kikuyu. The sacred mountain of the Kikuyu, second in height only to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro, was called Kirinyaga. The British apparently felt that Kirinyaga was too difficult to pronounce of spell, so they shortened it to Kenya. After a poorly planned and bloody rebellion in the late 1950s (Mau Mau), the Kenyan colony settled down into a peaceful independence movement led by Jomo Kenyatta. Mzee (Mister), as he is called, had been imprisoned earlier for his supposed involvement with Mau Mau. In fact, he had had little or nothing to do with the movement, preferring to work within the system. In many ways, he is seen as the Nelson Mandela of East Africa. After being released from prison, he organized a party which eventually became known as the Kenya African National Union (KANU). When the British finally gave Kenya its independence, KANU took the lead and Kenyatta was the overwhelming choice for president. As president, Kenyatta did a great deal to build his country up, although he cannot be accused of having extremely democratic tendencies. He was not above political repression, and some opposition leaders did disappear during his 15 year reign, as he turned Kenya into a single party state. He also was known for his nepotism as his government consisted of mostly Kikuyu, and much land belonging to the other tribes was reallocated to Kikuyu. Nevertheless, Kenya was prospering and many Kenyans still look upon Kenyatta as a great freedom fighter and benevolent dictator. Upon Mzee's death in 1978, his long-time vice-president, Daniel arap Moi took over, and he ruled until just a few weeks ago. In his 24 years in office, he presided over Kenya's steady decline. In the eyes of many, he is mostly responsible for ruining Kenya's economy, educational system, and infrastructure for his own benefit. He has robbed Kenya blind and established one of the most corrupt societies in the world. After a failed Air Force coup against him in 1982, he has became a virtual dictator, controlling the parliament as well as the judiciary and the police.
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