Jomo Kenyatta: Symbol of African Liberation On August 21, 1961, after nearly nine years in prison, Jomo Kenyatta walked free—no longer just a man, but the living symbol of Kenya’s independence struggle and Africa’s wider fight for liberation. His journey had begun earlier, in the 1940s, when he connected with Pan-African leaders like George Padmore and Kwame Nkrumah. At the 1945 Manchester Congress, he joined the call for immediate independence, tying Kenya’s cause to a united African struggle.