A commission of five people, including music composers and musicians, created the Kenyan National Anthem.

Professor Washington Omondi, Reverend Thomas Kalume, an education officer, Graham Hyslop, the Inspector of Music in the Ministry of Education, Mr Peter Kibkosya, a music tutor, and George Senoga Zake, a Ugandan musicologist comprised the five-person team.

The commission, led by Prof. Omondi, was given seven weeks to compose the national anthem and examined several options, including organizing a competition where various persons would be requested to offer National anthems.


Following that, the commission presented its findings to the advisory committee. Many traditional tunes were explored, but they narrowed it down to three, from which a Pokomo lullaby was chosen. The Pokomo lullaby went like this:

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Bee mdondo, bee, Bee mdondo bee

Akudobee ni gani?

Huenda hukawabige watu wa makoneah

Mwenzi uyawa, ni nani?

The crew then devised theme words in both Kiswahili and English and decided that the first stanza should be prayerful. They then wrote the first version of the national anthem.

In August 1963, the three verses were delivered to Kenya's first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and the Council of Ministers. A double quartet, accompanied by the Police Band, sang the hymn in unison in Kiswahili and English.