Jomo Kenyatta [Photo: Courtesy]In early 1937, a book titled ‘The Phonetic and Tonal Structure of Kikuyu’ was published by the small press of The International African Institute (IAI). The invasion of Abyssinia forced Haile Selassie into exile, and when he arrived at the Waterloo (how ironic!) Jomo Kenyatta with Haile Selassie [Photo: Courtesy]Now the hitherto clean-shaven Kamau, but for a moustache, decided to grow a full beard that would become a ‘Jomo’ trademark - in solidarity with Emperor Haile Selassie, who had his ‘imperial’ beard. Read Also: From Johnstone Kamau to Jomo Kenyatta, the rise of Kenya's founding presidentJohnstone Kamau would become ‘Jomo Kenyatta’ the next year in 1938, after penning ‘Facing Mount Kenya’ because he (correctly) deduced that ‘Johnstone’ was too Western a name for an African ‘pride’ author. ‘Haile Selassie’ would also be the only leader of a foreign country to get a major road in Kenya named after him - Haile Selassie Avenue.

Source: Standard Digital February 25, 2021 07:56 UTC