Word: kenyattas
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...opposition party banned, and he himself imprisoned for "subversion," Kenya's flamboyant, left-leaning Oginga Odinga was dismayed to find that he was not even allowed to read about the national elections. When "Double O" made a plea for newspaper privileges to President Jomo Kenyatta, his onetime pal replied: "When I was in detention, the British gave me nothing to read but the Bible. Let Odinga read that. It will do him good...
...recent years, however, both party memberships have become increasingly polarized. Mboya's assassination last July widened the rift. A Kikuyu was found guilty of Mboya's murder, and ugly rumors persist that high-ranking KANU leaders instigated the slaying. At Mboya's funeral, Kenyatta's car was stoned. Fearful of further Luo unrest, the Kikuyu resumed the Mau Mau-like oath-takings near Kenyatta's home, thereby compounding Luo distrust. Then came the latest explosion...
Angry Warning. Kenyatta and a milelong KANU motorcade, fresh from rousing receptions in KANU territory, drove into Luo-dominated Kisumu in western Kenya. Almost immediately, signs of hostility were apparent. As a gesture of welcome, local officials had banana trees planted along the road. When Kenyatta drove past, however, cattle and goats set loose by Luo farmers were placidly munching the bananas. At a mass rally to dedicate a $3,500,000 Russian-built hospital, tension sharpened. As Odinga stood by, KPU hecklers shouted "Dume" (pronounced du-may and meaning "bull"), the party's slogan, and KANU backers retaliated...
...Kenyatta's convoy began to move away after the speech, spectators stoned the lead car. Panicky police fired point-blank into the crowd, leaving at least nine dead and 70 wounded. Two days later, Kenya police arrested Odinga, and most of the other KPU leadership, including all eight of the party's MPs. A day later, KPU was banned for allegedly seeking "to overthrow the lawful and constitutional government of the Republic of Kenya." It seemed a clear reference to Communist intrigues. Though apparently no Communist, Odinga is a leftist who has accepted funds from Soviet and Chinese...
Almost simultaneously with the banning of KPU-the sole opposition party -the Kenya government announced that it would ask Parliament to adjourn this week in preparation for elections expected late this year. With the opposition out of action, it should be just the sort of campaign that Kenyatta and his Kikuyu need in order to solidify Kikuyu power-and to guarantee KANU rule in the post-Kenyatta years...