In early July 1964, Kenya’s founding father and first president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was attacked just outside the Hilton Hotel in London as reported by the Standard in an article dated August 22, 2018.
Kenyatta was in London for a or the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference as head of the seven African delegations on Southern Rhodesia, then a key meeting prior to the independence of Kenya and a number of other African states.
The New York Times reported that as Mzee Kenyatta walked through the hotel’s lobby into his Dalmer that waited outside, a young man ran towards him, bumped into a policeman before pouncing on Kenyatta.
The young man, then identified as Martin Guy Alan Webster was overpowered by Kenyatta’s chauffeur and the policeman who then handed him to the authorities.
As the drama unraveled, another man, John Hutchyn Tyndal, associated with Webster, stood on the sidelines yelling at Kenyatta.
“Kenyatta go back to Africa. This is the man who murdered our white brethren in Africa.” Tyndal was quoted by the Standard.
Apparently, Webster and Tyndal were members of a group then identified as the Greater Britain Movement, a fascist movement that was opposed to Britain’s shift in colonial policy.
To the duo, attacking Kenyatta was a symbol of defense to white supremacy, the New York Times stated, and with Kenyatta being in town, that was the perfect opportunity.
Following the incident, Kenya filled charges through the then country’s High Commissioner in London, Dr Njuguna J Karanja.
Kenyatta, however, pulled a diplomatic stunt, downplaying the incident to avert the possibility of awarding clout to a mere publicity stunt, instead assured Kenyans that he was unarmed.
The duo was later charged with the employ of abusive language, assault on Kenyatta and a policeman. Webster served a short jail term while Tyndal was fined 25 pounds for his involvement.
The July 1964 attack on Mzee Kenyatta was not the first. He was subject of attack from white supremacy extremists when he headed a delegation that visited London in 1962.
Kenyatta was in the country for the Lancaster Conference of 1962 when he was attacked.
According to media reports, Kenyatta was pelted with two sets of eggs, fresh eggs when he went into the conference and rotten eggs when he came out.
The New York Times and writer Owaahh report that the extremists carried placards that read, “Hang Kenyatta”.
