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, is called Uhuru Peak. And Black Uhuru is a Jamaican
band, some of whose songs deal with liberation and freedom from stress and oppression.