Michael Blundell
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Sir Michael Blundell KBE |
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|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Council | |
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In office 1948–1963 |
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| Constituency | Rift Valley |
| Minister on Emergency War Committee | |
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In office 1954–1955 |
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| Minister of Agriculture | |
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In office 1955–1959 |
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| Minister of Agriculture | |
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In office 1961–1962 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 April 1907 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 1 February 1993 (aged 85) Nairobi, Kenya |
| Political party |
New Kenya Party (1959–63) United Country Party (1954–57) |
| Spouse(s) | Geraldine Robarts |
| Children | 1 Daughter |
| Military service | |
| Years of service | 1940–? |
| Rank | Officer |
| Unit | King's African Rifles |
Sir Michael Blundell KBE (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 in two spells between 1955 and 1962.
Blundell was born in London in 1907, and was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire. After leaving school he moved to Kenya in 1925, taking a job on a farm in the west of the colony. He went on to become a farm manager in Solai, before buying his own farm in the area. During World War II he joined the British Army in 1940, becoming an officer in the King's African Rifles.
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 member 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 and multi-racialism, although it opposed common roll elections and the opening of the White Highlands to other races. The following year Blundell was appointed Minister of Agriculture. He was re-elected again in 1956. During his tenure as Minister he oversaw a plan to grant land titles to the Kikuyu in order to resolve the Mau Mau Uprising.
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