| Kenya People's Union | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Oginga Odinga |
| Founder | Oginga Odinga |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Dissolved | 1969 (banned) |
| Split from | 1966 from Kanu |
| Ideology | socialism |
Kenya People's Union was a socialist political party in Kenya led by Oginga Odinga. The party was banned in 1969.
In March 1966 a left-wing faction of the governing Kenya African National Union (KANU) left the party and formed the KPU [1]. KPU was particularly popular among the Luo people in Nyanza province, as opposed to then Kikuyu-dominated KANU [2]. The end of the party culminated when the New Nyanza General Hospital was opened on October 25, 1969. The president Jomo Kenyatta was not excited about the hospital, since it was built with Soviet money and seen as Odinga's project. Kenyatta did, however, lead the opening ceremonies of the hospital to to boost his popularity in Nyanza Province. The Luo's were generally hostile towards as Tom Mboya had been murdered few months earlier, with many fingers pointing at Kenyatta. Riots opened at the opening ceremonies, when KPU supporters attacked Kenyatta's entourage. Over 10 people were killed as Kenyatta's security personnel opened a fire against the demonstrators. Odinga and several other KPU officials were arrested two days after the incident. KPU was banned on October 30, 1969, transforming Kenya into one-party state [3].
The following politicians were affiliated with KPU. In the parenthesis is the constituency they represented [4].[3]