ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the unfolding character of the post-colonial state and interrogates the nature of the contestation over the post-colonial state by the alliance of class forces, which captured state power at independence. It covers the period from independence in 1963 to the defeat of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) militants in 1966 and finally their exit from the political center stage with the formation of the new opposition party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU). The chapter follows the rise of Tom Mboya, a moderate trade unionist, who was initially supported by the colonial government. Mboya propelled the trade union movement within Kenya to great new heights. In June 1963 KANU won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives to form the first independent government, but faced the challenge of dealing with a radical and hostile opposition, which would shape post-colonial politics in the coming decades. Between 1965 and 1969 the conservative portion of KANU organised to quell the dissenting radicals and resorted increasingly to repressive measures in order to exert control. This period saw the creation of the KPU in response to increased suppression of opposition voices, increased government control over political spaces and the use of state resources to bolster the ruling party control. The chapter ends with a discussion on the succession battle between Mboya and Moi, resulting in Mboya’s assassination and Kenyatta’s response to effectively consolidate Kenya as a one-party state.
