The Samosa Festival is hosting a historical art exhibition honouring Makhan Singh, a revolutionary leader, freedom fighter, and pioneer of the Trade Union Movement in Kenya.
The exhibition will open on October 11 at the Kisumu Museum.
The exhibition will showcase curated photographs taken throughout the life of Makhan Singh highlighting his many achievements.
It will reflect his significant contributions to Kenya’s independence and his advocacy for the rights of African workers.
Makhan Singh is celebrated as one of Kenya’s most selfless freedom fighters during British colonial rule, enduring detention by the British government between 1950 and 1961.
He was a vocal advocate for improved working conditions for African labourers and spoke out against the political oppression of African leaders.
Singh began his impactful career in 1935 when he was elected Secretary-General of the Indian Trade Union.
He would later transform this organisation into the Labour Trade Union of Kenya which expanded into the Labour Trade Union of East Africa in 1937 to support workers throughout the region.
As a pioneer of the labour movement, Singh’s efforts led to the British government implementing the Trade Unions’ Ordinance which established the conditions under which African labourers could form Trade Unions.
He was also a founding member of the East African Trade Union Congress in 1949 which is credited with organising influential workers’ strikes in 1950 that played a vital role in the fight for Kenya’s independence.
