A history of the Kenya People's Union - 1966 - 1969

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to describe the formation of the KPU,its major policies and organization and its struggle with Kanu for political influence. Although it is desirable to keep fairly close to the main topics, it has been found necessary to examine a selection of some peripheral topics. This has involved a fairly intensive treatment of such topics as the structure and control of Kenya's economized cleavages in Kenya and the cleavage caused by rivalry between the communist block and the capitalist block. The study has been made for three main reasons. First, most scholars who have studied politics in Kenya in .. the period 1957-1969 have reflected one false assumption, namely, that political struggles in the country were mainly due to rivalry between prominent politicians. Within this context, the formation of the KPU in I969 bas Inevitably been viewed in terms of struggles between Oginga Odinga and Tom Mboya.lt is this emphasis on personalities that this study has tried to re-examine. Second, nothing of consequence has been written about the KPU,and yet its formation in I966 was an outstanding event ‘which greatly influenced subsequent developments in Kenya. "'. Third, it is hoped that this study will shed some more light on the intricate social, economic and political processes