Civic leaders 'pushed landless peasants, women to buy land'

The process of purchasing European farms formed the foundation of small-scale agriculture. [iStockphoto]

When Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first President, made the decision to send 26-year-old Kanu secretary Geoffrey Gitahi Kariuki (GG) to Denmark's Ahus University College to study Co-operative Movement Management, he faced unexpected opposition.

At that time, GG held the position of Laikipia Kanu branch secretary. The opposition to Kenyatta's idea came from another young party official, Mwai Kibaki, who believed GG should instead run for the Laikipia parliamentary seat on the Kanu ticket.