Puneet Varma (Editor)

Kenya African Democratic Union

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Leader
  
Ronald Ngala

Deputy Leader
  
Daniel arap Moi

Dissolved
  
1964

Secretary-General
  
Masinde Muliro?

Founded
  
1960

Kenya African Democratic Union

Founder
  
Ronald Ngala Daniel arap Moi

The Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU) was a political party in Kenya. It was founded in 1960 when several leading politicians refused to join Jomo Kenyatta's Kenya African National Union (KANU). It was led by Ronald Ngala. KADU's aim was to defend the interests of the so-called KAMATUSA (an acronym for Kalenjin, Maasai, Turkana and Samburu ethnic groups), against the dominance of the larger Luo and Kikuyu that comprised the majority of KANU's membership.

History

KADU lost the first general elections in Kenya in 1963, where it had campaigned on a platform of Majimboism. Its delegation at Kenya's Lancaster house constitutional conference negotiated for and got federalism adopted into Kenya's independence constitution. This involved eight 'jimbos' with regional presidents. The party dissolved in 1964 and merged into KANU. Daniel arap Moi, who later served as President of Kenya, was KADU's chairman and attended the Lancaster House Conferences with Ronald Ngala. Part of the KADU team was also Masinde Muliro who believed that the dominance of the two tribes needed to be neutralized so as to have a free and fairly led nation. The dissolution of KADU was orchestrated by the then justice and legal affairs minister Tom Mboya who followed orders from the then President of Kenya, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

References

Kenya African Democratic Union Wikipedia