Thousands gather in Nairobi to mark 70 years of Kenya’s independence

Nairobi, Dec 12 (EFE).- Thousands of Kenyans gathered in Nairobi on Tuesday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the country’s independence from British rule.

The celebrations for Independence Day, or ‘Jamhuri’ in Swahili, took place at Uhuru (‘freedom’) Gardens, where Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, took power after lowering the British flag, raising the Kenyan one and marking that point by planting a tree.

A massive ceremony, which was attended by president William Ruto, featuring musical performances, traditional dances and military parades was held at the iconic site in the Kenyan capital city.

«This anniversary gives us an opportunity to come together as a family and reflect together on how we have fared over six decades,» the president, who is celebrating the holiday for the second time as head of state, later said.

Ruto added that it was a day to celebrate «the progress made» and stress that «the democratic credentials of the Kenyan political culture are strong and institutional maturity is beyond doubt.»

Attendance was significantly lower than the government’s prediction of 30,000.

The event was attended by the President of Ethiopia, Shale Work Zewde; the President of Zanzibar (Tanzania), Hussein Mwinyi; the Vice President of Burundi, Porsper Bazombanza; and the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACALC), Wamkele Mene, among other foreign dignitaries.

Kenya, a protectorate of the United Kingdom since the end of the 19th century, became a colony in 1920.

In 1952, a nationalist uprising known as Mau Mau and triggered by the people of the Kikuyu – the majority ethnic group of the country – against British rule began.

After a decade of a state of emergency due to the violence, and after elections won by the Kenya African National Union (KANU), Kenya obtained autonomy in 1962 and independence in 1963. EFE

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