Advertisement
Advertisement
uhuru
[ oo-hoo-roo; English oo-hoor-oo ]
noun
- freedom; independence.
uhuru
/ uːˈhuːruː /
noun
- national independence
- freedom
Word History and Origins
Origin of uhuru1
Example Sentences
It is no surprise that three of the five presidents since independence – Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta – came from the region.
He had seen for himself how a rift between Kenya's top two can lead to government dysfunction after he had fallen out with his former boss Uhuru Kenyatta.
Gachagua captured the limelight in the run-up to the 2022 elections, when he vehemently opposed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s choice of preferred successor.
“Don’t kill me the way your father killed JM Kariuki,” he said at a rally in July 2022, referring to an MP who was killed in 1975 during the administration of Jomo Kenyatta, the nation's first president and the father of Uhuru Kenyatta.
Ruto has in the past vowed not to subject Gachagua to “political persecution”, similar to what he says he experienced when he was deputy to his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Advertisement
More About Uhuru
What is uhuru?
Uhuru is a Swahili term meaning freedom or independence.
Uhuru is often used to describe the freedom of a country to govern itself, especially in parts of Africa where Swahili is spoken. In Kenya, uhuru was used frequently in the mid-1900s when Kenya was gaining independence from the United Kingdom.
Uhuru is also the first name of Kenya’s fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the leader of the Jubilee Party of Kenya’s political system.
Example: On Jamhuri Day, Mukondi likes to watch the uhuru parades.
Where does uhuru come from?
The first records of the term uhuru in English come from around the 1960s. It comes directly from Swahili.
In Kenya, December 12 is Jamhuri Day (jamhuri means “republic” in Swahili). Kenyans celebrate their uhuru with parties and parades, often chanting phrases containing the term uhuru. In Tanzania, uhuru is also used in celebration of independence. Tanzanian Independence Day, or Tanzania Uhuru Day as it is sometimes called, is celebrated on December 9. Tanzanians, too, use uhuru in celebratory phrases, often at military parades and in addresses from the nation’s leaders.
Because of its connections to independence in some African nations, uhuru is often used in both English and Swahili in connection with African pride or to name places with significance to African culture or history. For example, the highest peak in Africa, located on a volcanic cone of Mount Kilimanjaro, is called Uhuru Peak. And Black Uhuru is a Jamaican band, some of whose songs deal with liberation and freedom from stress and oppression.
Did you know … ?
How is uhuru used in real life?
Uhuru is often used in discussions about African pride and freedom.
The highest point of Kilimanjaro is called Uhuru, meaning "freedom" in Swahili, something you can't help but feel when you see it.
— — — #Amboseli #Safari #TravelAfrica #Kilimanjaro pic.twitter.com/1EfgJicquI
— Musah Travels (@MusaMagumbaK) February 8, 2022
Safari = journey (arabic (safar) -> swahili -> the rest of the world)
Uhuru – freedom, and also the origin of the Nyota Uhura’s name (star trek)
Kwanza – first, and the origin of the name for the holiday Kwanzaa
— Emma (@swalapalalangs) January 5, 2022
Africa produced some great words, like Uhuru in Swahili, meaning Freedom, though often not lived up to!
Or in Zulu the word Ubuntu, meaning: I am because we are! Urging humaneness, also not lived up to anywhere but a newer, better word perhaps leading to a better world!
— Anthony Steyning (@SteyningAnthony) December 31, 2021
Try using uhuru!
True or False?
Uhuru is often connected to the idea of national freedom.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse