logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
10m 27s

The power of Jomo Kenyatta

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In the 1970s, Sharad Rao was Kenya’s assistant director of public prosecutions, working closely with Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta who was seen as ruthless and unpredictable.

Rao took the unusual step of defying Kenyatta’s orders by refusing to jail students after they rioted about chapatis in 1972.

Rao also tells Alex Collins how he witnessed Kenyatta chasing a British diplomat with a stick.

(Photo: Jomo Kenyatta. Credit: BBC)

Up next
Yesterday
How BRICS got its name
In 2001, a few months after 9/11, economist Jim O’Neill was working at Goldman Sachs when he wrote a report about which countries might become big players in the world economy. That’s when he came up with the name BRIC - short for Brazil, Russia, India and China. At first, nothin ... Show More
9m 55s
Oct 9
Japan surrenders in Beijing
Eighty years ago, in the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire.The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese gen ... Show More
10m 12s
Oct 8
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away
On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK. Two years later, the majority voted to return. In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, M ... Show More
10m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
Kenya: Westgate mall attack
Eyewitnesses remember the Westgate mall attack in Kenya, the 1990s 'miracle water' craze in Mexico, and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. Plus the amazing story of how a journalist revealed the secret romance between Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy, and we look back at ... Show More
49m 58s
Jun 2022
Running from murder and abuse in Kenya
Kenya is famous for some of the fastest runners in the world, but recently, with the murder of Damaris Muthee Mutua and Agnes Tirop, that reputation’s been tarnished. Their partners are the main suspects in each case. Now, a fellow female athlete is trying to bring attention to g ... Show More
21m 40s
Aug 2022
Who will be Kenya's next leader?
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is stepping down after a decade in power. Previous elections were marred by violence, but will it be different this time? And what's at stake in this vote? Join host Mohammed Jamjoom. Guests: Fergus Kell - Research analyst in the Africa Programme a ... Show More
20m 21s
Jan 2024
Is femicide a silent epidemic in Kenya?
20 year old Rita Waeni was brutally murdered and dismembered. Her remains were discovered in rubbish bags at a rental apartment in the capital, Nairobi this month. The news shocked Kenya and led to uproar both online and offline with many saying that the government isn’t doing en ... Show More
18m 32s
Mar 2023
What's driving the recent unrest in Kenya?
Opposition leaders in Kenya say they're protesting against the high cost of living, but they also accuse the president of stealing the last election. So, can this unrest be contained? Or is there risk of an escalation? Join host Cyril Vanier. Guests Farah Maalim - Former Deputy S ... Show More
24m 56s
Mar 2023
Monday demonstrations in Kenya
Protests in Kenya for a second Monday running, as promised by Riyla Odinga.Also, business people in Kenya are callng for the political empass to be resolved.And the American vice president, Kamala Harris, is in Ghana. What's on her agenda?  We'll hear from our correspondent in Ac ... Show More
28m 10s
Jul 2022
How do political dynasties impact African politics?
Political dynasties are an ongoing debate as Kenya elects a new president on August 9. President Uhuru Kenyatta will leave office after 10 years in power. He comes from a strong political legacy. His father was Kenya’s first president after independence – Jomo Kenyatta. Among tho ... Show More
16m 39s
Jun 2022
Rollercoaster Politics Ahead of Kenya's August Elections
Kenya’s presidential race has been turned upside down. After a high-profile split with President Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto – despite being in government for the last nine years – is running on an anti-establishment platform. Having distanced himself from Kenyatta, Ruto is ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2020
Sana Aiyar, "Indians in Kenya: The Politics of Diaspora" (Harvard UP, 2015)
In Indians in Kenya: The Politics of Diaspora (Harvard University Press, 2015), Sana Aiyer investigates how Indian diasporic actors influenced the course of Kenya’s political history, from partnering with Europeans in their colonial mission in East Africa to political solidarity ... Show More
1h 29m