Kenya (1963–1964) Kenya came into existence on 12 December 1964. Following the abolition of the monarchy, Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya. Kenya (1963–1964) Between 12 December 1963 and 12 December 1964, Kenya was an independent sovereign state that shared its head of state with the United Kingdom and other states headed by Queen Elizabeth II. It was a predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Kenya. When Kenya Colony was given independence from Britain on 12 December 1963, the British monarch (Elizabeth II) remained head of state as Queen of Kenya. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly
Jomo Kenyatta Robeck became the District Officer, after which Kenyatta and the other inmates were treated more leniently. In April 1954, they had been joined by a captured Mau Mau commander, Waruhiu Itote; Kenyatta befriended him, and gave him English lessons. By 1957, the inmates had formed into two rival cliques, with Kenyatta and Itote on one side and the other KAU members—now calling themselves the "National Democratic Party"—on the other. In one incident, one of his rivals made an unsuccessful attempt to stab Kenyatta at breakfast. Kenyatta's health had deteriorated in prison; manacles had caused problems for his feet and he