Sir Michael Blundell (7 April 1907 – 1 February 1993) was a Kenyan farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1948 until 1963, and as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

in two spells between 1955 and 1962.

Biography

Blundell was born in London in 1907, and was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

in Berkshire. After leaving school he moved to Kenya in 1925, taking a job on a farm in the west of the colony.Robert M. Maxon & Thomas P. Ofcansky (2014) ''Historical Dictionary of Kenya'', Rowman & Littlefield, p37 He went on to become a farm manager in

Solai Solai is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya. It is located about thirty kilometers north of the county capital, Nakuru. Lake Solai lies to its north. Administratively, Solai is a location In geography, location or place are used to denote a regio ...

, before buying his own farm in the area. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he joined the British Army in 1940, becoming an officer in the

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions withi ...

. He was awarded an MBE in 1943. After the war he bought a farm at Subukia and married Geraldine Robarts in 1946, with whom he had a daughter. He ran in the Rift Valley seat in the 1948 general elections, and was elected to the Legislative Council with 50.6% of the vote. He was returned unopposed in the 1952 general elections, and became leader of the elected European members in the same year. In 1954 he was appointed Minister on Emergency War Council, and formed the United Country Party, which supported the

Lyttleton Constitution The Constitution of Nigeria is the written constitution, supreme law of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria has had many constitutions. Its current form was enacted on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated the Fourth Nigerian Republic. ...

and multi-racialism, although it opposed common roll elections and the opening of the

White Highlands The White Highlands is an area in the central uplands of Kenya. It was traditionally the homeland of indigenous Central Kenyan communities up to the colonial period, when it became the centre of European settlement in Kenya, and between 1902 and 19 ...

to other races. The following year Blundell was appointed

. He was re-elected again in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. During his tenure as Minister he oversaw a plan to grant land titles to the

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: * Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya *Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...

to resolve the

Mau Mau Uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...

. In 1959 Blundell founded the New Kenya Group, which later became the

New Kenya Party The New Kenya Party was a political party in Kenya. History With encouragement from Governor Evelyn Baring and Secretary of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd, the New Kenya Group was established on 2 April 1959 by Michael Blundell.Robert ...

, the first multi-racial party in Kenya.Maxon & Ofcansky, p254 He left the cabinet in the same year, but after being re-elected in the 1961 general elections, returned to the post of Minister of Agriculture. However, after the 1962 Lancaster House Conference he retired from politics, not standing in the 1963 elections. He was subsequently awarded a KBE in 1964. Following his retirement from politics, Blundell returned to farming and served as chairman of Egerton Agricultural College between 1962 and 1972. He also wrote several books, two memoirs and two books on flowers. He died in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

on 1 February 1993.

Bibliography

*''So Rough a Wind'' (1964, memoir) *''The Wild Flowers of Kenya (1982) *''Collins Guide to the Wild Flowers of East Africa'' (1987) *''A Love Affair with the Sun'' (1994, memoir)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blundell, Michael 1907 births 1993 deaths People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire British emigrants to Kenya Members of the Legislative Council of Kenya Ministers of Agriculture of Kenya Kenyan farmers Settlers of Kenya British Army personnel of World War II King's African Rifles officers Kenyan writers Kenyan male writers Kenyan naturalists Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Politicians awarded knighthoods People from London White Kenyan people 20th-century naturalists