Poppy Cullen is lecturer in international history at Loughborough University, UK. She researches the relationship between Britain and Kenya during and after the era of decolonization. Her book on this subject is Kenya and Britain after Independence: Beyond Neo-Colonialism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).

10.11.2022

• Poppy Cullen

How the Cold War Shaped Kenyan Politics and Its Pursuit of African Socialism

After independence, Kenya’s political class understood that defeating socialism at home was the best way of securing Western support. Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s first president, led a vicious campaign to take power by defeating his rivals on the Left.