@surualifupi: KISUMU, March 1971: The Kenyan government released Adonijah Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former vice president and prominent opposition leader, after holding him in detention for 18 months. His party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU), had been banned in 1969 following violent riots in Kisumu during a visit by President Jomo Kenyatta. Most of the other KPU officials detained alongside Odinga had already been freed. However, the 59-year-old politician retained significant support. His release followed persistent appeals from members of Parliament, his wife, Mary, and his two sons, Oburu and Raila Odinga, who would later become key political figures. On Monday, March 29, lawmakers and hundreds of supporters gathered in Kisumu to welcome Odinga, who had been released two days earlier. Across western Kenya, crowds celebrated with singing and feasting, though Odinga and his wife, Mary Ajuma, spent the day quietly receiving visitors at home. The government had justified Odinga’s detention and the KPU’s banning by accusing the party of plotting to overthrow the state. Officials also claimed that President Kenyatta’s life had been "seriously threatened" during the 1969 riots, which erupted as he inaugurated a Soviet-funded hospital in Kisumu. The tensions reflected the deep political rift between Kenyatta and Odinga, once close allies in the struggle for independence. Odinga had served as Kenya’s first vice president after independence in 1963, but his socialist leanings and ties to the Soviet Union clashed with Kenyatta’s pro-Western policies. By 1966, their relationship had soured, leading Odinga to resign and form the KPU. The government subsequently marginalized the party, accusing it of inciting unrest. After his release, Odinga remained politically active but was barred from formal opposition activities. He later reconciled with Kenyatta’s successor, President Daniel arap Moi, in the 1980s and was appointed chairman of the Cotton Lint and Seed Marketing Board. However, he continued advocating for multiparty democracy, which was eventually restored. #historia #kenyantiktok🇰🇪 #kenya #kisumutiktoker #àfrica #detention

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Sunday 29 June 2025 16:46:49 GMT