33 Facts About Tom Mboya

Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a Kenyan trade unionist, educator, Pan-Africanist, author, independence activist, and statesman.

Tom Mboya was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Kenya.

Tom Mboya laid the foundation for Kenya's capitalist and mixed economy policies at the height of the Cold War and set up several of the country's key labour institutions.

Tom Mboya gave speeches, participated in debates and interviews across the world in favour of Kenya's independence from British colonial rule.

Tom Mboya spoke at several rallies in the goodwill of the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

In 1958, at the age of 28, Tom Mboya was elected Conference Chairman at the All-African Peoples' Conference convened by Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Tom Mboya helped build the Trade Union Movement in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as across Africa.

Tom Mboya served as the Africa Representative to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

In 1959, Tom Mboya called a conference in Lagos, Nigeria, to form the first All-Africa ICFTU labour organization.

In 1960, Tom Mboya was the first Kenyan to be featured on the front page cover of Time magazine in a painting by Bernard Safran.

Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was born at this colonial sisal farm on 15 August 1930, near the town of Thika, in what was called the White Highlands of Kenya.

When Tom Mboya was 9 years old, his father sent him to a mission school in Kamba region.

In 1948, Tom Mboya joined the Royal Sanitary Institute's Medical Training School for Sanitary Inspectors at Nairobi, qualifying as an inspector in 1950.

Tom Mboya enrolled in a certificate course in economics at Efficiency Correspondence College of South Africa.

Tom Mboya was able to continue working for the Kenya Labour Workers Union as secretary-general before embarking on his studies in Britain.

Tom Mboya then turned to use the trade unions as a platform to fight for independence.

Tom Mboya was elected as Secretary General of the Kenya Federation of Labour, the umbrella body for trade unions in Kenya.

In that role, Tom Mboya gave speeches in London and Washington, DC opposing British colonial rule in Kenya.

Tom Mboya organized several strikes seeking better working conditions for African workers.

Tom Mboya raised funds to build a headquarters for the KFL.

In 1956, after Tom Mboya had returned from the United Kingdom, the colonial government allowed black Africans to run for office and serve in the Legislative Assembly.

Tom Mboya was elected secretary of the African Caucus and continued a campaign for independence, as well as seeking freedom for Jomo Kenyatta and other political prisoners.

Tom Mboya used his incredible diplomacy skills to get support for the independence movement from foreign countries.

At that time, Tom Mboya developed a close relationship with Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana who, like Tom Mboya, was a Pan-Africanist.

In 1958, during the All-African Peoples' Conference in Ghana, convened by Kwame Nkrumah, Tom Mboya was elected as the Conference Chairman at the age of 28.

In 1960, the Kennedy Foundation agreed to underwrite the airlift, after Tom Mboya visited Senator Jack Kennedy to ask for assistance, and Airlift Africa was extended to Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland.

Tom Mboya created the National Social Security Fund, Kenya's social security scheme.

Tom Mboya established an Industrial Court to hear labour-management cases.

Kenyatta and Tom Mboya were known advocates of a non-aligned international policy, not wanting blanket application of capitalism while completely abhorring scientific socialism.

In 1966, Tom Mboya was removed from the economic planning ministry and Kibaki was appointed for the first time as full Minister for Commerce and Industry.

Tom Mboya retained the portfolio as Minister for Economic Planning and Development until his death at the age of 39 when he was gunned down on 5 July 1969 at Government Road, Nairobi CBD, after visiting Chaani's Pharmacy.

Tom Mboya is buried in a mausoleum on Rusinga Island, which was built in 1970.

Tom Mboya married Pamela Odede on Saturday, 20 January 1962 at St Peter Claver's Catholic Church on Racecourse Road, in Nairobi.