Jomo Kenyatta Indepedence Day Speech Analysis
Jomo Kenyatta, first president of Kenya, from an Independence Day message to the people, as quoted in Sanford Ungar's Africa, the People and Politics of an Emerging Continent, New York, 1985.
"It is with great pride and pleasure that I receive constitutional instruments today as the embodiment of Kenya’s freedom. This is the greatest day in Kenya’s history, and the happiest day of my life. “Our march to freedom has been long and difficult. There have been times of despair, when only the burning conviction of the rightness of our cause has sustained us. Today, the tragedies and misunderstandings of the past are behind us. Today, we start on the great adventure of building the Kenyan nation. “As we start on this great task, it is right that we who are assembled at this historic ceremony here today, and all the people of Kenya, should remember and pay tribute to those people of all races, tribes and color who-over the years-have made their contribution of Kenya’s rich heritage: administration, farmers, missionaries, traders and others, and above all the people of Kenya themselves. “All have labored to make this fair land of Kenya the thriving country it is today. It behoves each one of us to vow that, in the days ahead, we shall be worthy of our great inheritance. “Your Royal Highness, your presence here today as the personal representative of Her Majesty the Queen is for us a great honour and one which gives the pleasure to all the people of Kenya. “We thank Her Majesty for her message of good wishes, and would request you, sir, to convey to the Queen the warm greetings of all our people.
“We welcome also today Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, who has been so closely concerned with us in the final stages of our march to independence. With Britain, which has watched over our destinies for so long, we now enter a new relationship. The close ties, which have bound our two countries, are not severed today. Rather, they will now
"It is with great pride and pleasure that I receive constitutional instruments today as the embodiment of Kenya’s freedom. This is the greatest day in Kenya’s history, and the happiest day of my life. “Our march to freedom has been long and difficult. There have been times of despair, when only the burning conviction of the rightness of our cause has sustained us. Today, the tragedies and misunderstandings of the past are behind us. Today, we start on the great adventure of building the Kenyan nation. “As we start on this great task, it is right that we who are assembled at this historic ceremony here today, and all the people of Kenya, should remember and pay tribute to those people of all races, tribes and color who-over the years-have made their contribution of Kenya’s rich heritage: administration, farmers, missionaries, traders and others, and above all the people of Kenya themselves. “All have labored to make this fair land of Kenya the thriving country it is today. It behoves each one of us to vow that, in the days ahead, we shall be worthy of our great inheritance. “Your Royal Highness, your presence here today as the personal representative of Her Majesty the Queen is for us a great honour and one which gives the pleasure to all the people of Kenya. “We thank Her Majesty for her message of good wishes, and would request you, sir, to convey to the Queen the warm greetings of all our people.
“We welcome also today Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, who has been so closely concerned with us in the final stages of our march to independence. With Britain, which has watched over our destinies for so long, we now enter a new relationship. The close ties, which have bound our two countries, are not severed today. Rather, they will now