We are economic prisoners despite gaining self-rule

Historians tell us that every past event and occurrence has more than one explanation. We know for a fact that Kenya’s independence was ‘earned’, not ‘granted.’ We also know that it was Mau Mau pressure and the swelling wave of nationalism that drove the colonialist out of town.

But there are some other historical factors that contributed to when we gained independence. Why did Kenya gain independence in 1964 instead of say, 1994, like South Africa? When the Malays declared ‘Merdeka’ (independence) in Malaysia, which was also a British colony, it took another six years until Kenyans could proclaim Madaraka (self-rule) in Kenya.