Joseph Murumbi
Encyclopedia
Joseph Zuzarte Murumbi was Kenya
's second Vice-President
from May 1966 until December 1966. He was a child of a Goan trader and a Maasai woman, and he spent the first 16 years of his life in India
. The declaration of the state of emergency
on October 20, 1952, saw the detention
of the top two levels of leadership within the Kenya African Union
, and Murumbi found himself thrust into the center of the party's leadership, as acting secretary-general.
He played a key role in securing legal counsel for the core group of detainees arrested in the emergency crackdown, and, together with Pio Gama Pinto
, strove to make the world aware of the brutal nature of British imperial rule, through Indian newspapers such as the Chronicle. After resigning from politics in 1966, Murumbi co-founded African Heritage with Alan Donovan, and it became the largest Pan-African art gallery on the continent.
Murumbi was not comfortable with Kenyatta's heavy hand in dealing with political opposition & the increasing corruption that was creeping into the Kenyatta government. Kenyatta was a huge beneficiary of the land grabbing that took place during the 1960s and 1970s. The Kenyatta family owns large tracts of land in the Coastal & Central provinces. Often this land was to be used to resettle squatters and ex-Mau Mau fighters.
Murumbi was thought to be close to Pio Gama Pinto, Bildad Kaggia & Dennis Akumu who were all critics of the Kenyatta government. Murumbi & Nyerere shared a Pan-Africanist bond.
Lawyer Pheroze Nowrojee concurs: "The assassination of Pinto illustrated to Murumbi the shocking extent to which the new government had departed from its promises. His feeling, evidently, was that these were not the values for which so many had suffered, and his departure was effectively only a matter of time."
He was an avid art collector and he left behind over 50,000 books and sheaves of official correspondence. The National Archives department has set up a library containing some of the 8,000 "rare books" (those published before 1900) entrusted to them upon the death of Murumbi.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's second Vice-President
Vice-President of Kenya
The Vice-President of Kenya is the second-highest executive official in the Kenyan government.-List of Vice-Presidents of Kenya:*Jaramogi Oginga Odinga *Joseph Zuzarte Murumbi *Daniel arap Moi...
from May 1966 until December 1966. He was a child of a Goan trader and a Maasai woman, and he spent the first 16 years of his life in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The declaration of the state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
on October 20, 1952, saw the detention
Detention (imprisonment)
Detention is the process when a state, government or citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom of liberty at that time. This can be due to criminal charges being raised against the individual as part of a prosecution or to protect a person or property...
of the top two levels of leadership within the Kenya African Union
Kenya African Union
Kenya African Union was a political organization formed in 1944to articulate Kenyan grievances against the British colonial administration of the time...
, and Murumbi found himself thrust into the center of the party's leadership, as acting secretary-general.
He played a key role in securing legal counsel for the core group of detainees arrested in the emergency crackdown, and, together with Pio Gama Pinto
Pio Gama Pinto
Pio Gama Pinto was a Kenyan journalist and politician.-Early years:At age eight, he was sent to India for his education and spent the next nine years there. He studied the arts for two years before joining the Indian Air Force in 1944 for a short time...
, strove to make the world aware of the brutal nature of British imperial rule, through Indian newspapers such as the Chronicle. After resigning from politics in 1966, Murumbi co-founded African Heritage with Alan Donovan, and it became the largest Pan-African art gallery on the continent.
Murumbi was not comfortable with Kenyatta's heavy hand in dealing with political opposition & the increasing corruption that was creeping into the Kenyatta government. Kenyatta was a huge beneficiary of the land grabbing that took place during the 1960s and 1970s. The Kenyatta family owns large tracts of land in the Coastal & Central provinces. Often this land was to be used to resettle squatters and ex-Mau Mau fighters.
Murumbi was thought to be close to Pio Gama Pinto, Bildad Kaggia & Dennis Akumu who were all critics of the Kenyatta government. Murumbi & Nyerere shared a Pan-Africanist bond.
Lawyer Pheroze Nowrojee concurs: "The assassination of Pinto illustrated to Murumbi the shocking extent to which the new government had departed from its promises. His feeling, evidently, was that these were not the values for which so many had suffered, and his departure was effectively only a matter of time."
He was an avid art collector and he left behind over 50,000 books and sheaves of official correspondence. The National Archives department has set up a library containing some of the 8,000 "rare books" (those published before 1900) entrusted to them upon the death of Murumbi.
External links
- The East African Standard Gentle Dissident
- The East African Standard Nationalist grave vandalized