Mama Ngina Kenyatta at 90: the quiet power behind Kenya’s famous political family

Few witnessed the constructing of the younger Kenyan state from inside as did Ngina Kenyatta, the widow of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta. Mama Ngina, as she is thought, will mark her 90th birthday on 24 June 2023.

She was by her husband’s facet when Kenya gained independence 60 years in the past and for a lot of turbulent years thereafter. Although Kenyatta was polygamous, it was the youthful Mama Ngina who took on the roles of first woman.

Ngina married Jomo Kenyatta in 1952 at the age of 19. That yr, Kenyatta was arrested and subsequently jailed on fees of masterminding the anti-colonial Mau Mau rebellion.

By then, he had spent years overseas (primarily in England), the place he embraced anti-colonialist and Pan-African concepts. Back residence he was elected president of Kenya African Union, earlier than turning into the entrance determine of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the occasion that might go on to steer Kenya to independence.

Kenyatta’s marriage to Ngina was his fourth. He had married Grace Wahu in 1920, Edna Clark in 1942 and Grace Wanjiku in 1946. The final marriage had political significance as a result of Ngina was the daughter of a senior chief, Muhoho wa Gatheca, who held an administrative place of nice affect. By then, Kenyatta was increasing his political base, so this marriage secured an alliance with an essential clan.

Mama Ngina is to be seen in lots of official pictures of the early days, protectively herding their younger youngsters in State House. The first-born was Christine Wambui-Pratt, who’s right this moment an advocate for individuals dwelling with incapacity. The second was Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, who turned Kenya’s fourth president (2013-2022). The third was Nyokabi Muthama, now a businesswoman and philanthropist. Muhoho Kenyatta, the reclusive last-born, is apparently the engine of the Kenyatta family enterprise empire.

Away from family, Mama Ngina was typically concerned in supporting numerous Harambee (neighborhood improvement) tasks. Yet little or no was identified about her and particularly her political affect throughout this era.

She was, and nonetheless is, actually not bored with politics. Though not a frequent public political speaker, she has spoken out in defence of her family. In 2022, she publicly campaigned for Uhuru Kenyatta’s most well-liked presidential candidate, Raila Odinga. She additionally sought to associate herself with the Mau Mau independence battle in an obvious try to counter well-liked sentiment in opposition to the Kenyattas amongst the Kikuyu.

The manner she dealt with the information of Kenyatta’s loss of life on 21 August 1978 suggests she was getting ready her political survival. At that point, jockeying for succession was fierce and the Kenyan political elite was profoundly divided over it. So as the Mzee (“old man”) – as he was referred to as – died, Mama Ngina and his stepsons Peter Magana and Peter Muigai knowledgeable their political allies with nice discretion.

According to a report by the authoritative Weekly Review information journal, certainly one of the first to be told was Daniel Arap Moi, then vice-president and constitutionally subsequent in line to behave as president. This positioned Moi in the lead of the succession battle at a time when some have been opposed to his automated succession. Only thereafter was Peter Mbiyu Koinange, Kenyatta’s long-time comrade and a outstanding minister, knowledgeable, together with Kenyatta’s different youngsters.

Mama Ngina took a low profile after the succession. She was inheriting an enormous enterprise empire which continued to broaden. Today, the holdings embody land in addition to shares in firms in banking, actual property, hospitality, mining, insurance coverage, airways, schooling, power, dairy farming, transport and telecommunications.

Her function throughout the political transition was rewarded with political help by President Moi, in response to information reviews.

In 2013, the matriarch bounced again to the centre of Kenyan politics, the first girl to have been partner and now mom of a sitting president. That wouldn’t have appeared possible when Uhuru Kenyatta was indicted by the International Criminal Court on fees of crimes against humanity. The fees stemmed from the 2007-2008 post-election violence, by which Uhuru and William Ruto have been on reverse sides. With Mama Ngina’s monetary muscle behind them, the two shaped the unlikely alliance that swept to power in 2013.

Planning started in April 2011, when Mama Ngina appeared at rallies the place prayers have been stated for the indicted duo. According to the Daily Nation, Mama Ngina brokered the coalition between the two. She additionally bankrolled the promotion of “our son” for president in Mount Kenya area, inhabited by her co-ethnics and associated tribes.

Uhuru’s ICC case was dropped in 2014 and Ruto’s in 2016. They quickly fell out. Ngina blamed Ruto for the rift. This in her eyes meant Uhuru was to not blame for breaking his 2013 campaign promise to again Ruto after his personal time period.

Now, for the first time, Mama Ngina has little or no affect over proceedings in State House. What’s extra, the Kenyattas are seen as anti-government for the first time since independence.

Mama Ngina not too long ago got here to the defence of the Kenyattas, who’re accused of sidelining freedom fighters and their households. The historic grievance is that they didn’t profit from post-independence allocations.

Ngina has sought to realign herself with the Mau Mau. She has claimed that she was among the Mau Mau women fighters. There is not any archival proof to help this, and her husband denounced the motion earlier than independence. The group remained banned beneath his and the subsequent presidency. It was lastly lifted in 2003.

It’s extra possible that in an election marketing campaign heavy with financial empowerment guarantees, this declare was her manner of figuring out with the marginalised, on behalf of the Kenyattas’ candidate. She might be counted on to defend the family identify, in good instances and unhealthy. 

By Anaïs Angelo, Elise Richter Fellow, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, Universität Wien
and
Catheline Bosibori N
Adam Smith Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University