Historical Reflection of Selected Women's Involvement in The
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International Journal of African History Research Vol. 1(1) pp 1 - 24, Copyright: ©2017 IJAHR Open Access Online @ http://onlinesciencejournals.com/index.php/ijahr Historical reflection of selected women’s involvement in the struggle for Kenya’s independence, 1920-1963 Nyagosia Bichaine1, Zachary Ogamba2, Ian Moywaywa Kaunda3 and Evans Nyamwaka4 1,2,3Department of Humanities, Kisii university, P.O Box 408-40200, Kisii, Kenya Corresponding Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. [email protected], Abstract The study investigated the history of women‟s involvement in nationalistic politics and struggle for independence in Kenya; 1920-1963. The study focused on some selected women personalities from Kenya, that is Moraa Ng‟iti among the Abagusii, Mekatilili wa Menza among the Giriama, Muthoni wa Gachie, Field Marshal, Muthoni Kirima, Virginia Wambui all among the Agikuyu, Taibagoi Bartiony among the Talai of the Nandi, and Sutunewa Kithuke among the Akamba. This purpose of this study was to establish the role played by selected women in the struggle for Kenya‟s independence. The study employed both qualitative and descriptive research designs. This study was library based more particularly, but also oral interview information which was very useful was obtained from the field on Kenyan women involvement in the nationalistic struggle in Kenya, 1920-1963. Purposive sampling was used because it had the required information with respect to this study. This study used questionnaires with closed and open-ended questions which were used to source data that was analyzed and chi-square analysis was used. The findings from this study would be used to provide useful information for further research on women‟s roles in shaping the political landscape of our country. The findings also give very useful information towards achieving gender equity in our country and even the entire of Africa which has lagged behind on women issues, and for policing on gender inequalities on the global scene. Key words: Historical reflection; Women’s involvement; Struggle; Independence; Kenya 1.0 Background of the study in the fighting in Americas struggle for Throughout history women have been known to independence. In the same tone, women in participate in war liberation struggle. It should Zimbabwe played a very key role to their be noted that not only men went for war during nation‟s liberation struggle. Traditional gender the liberation struggle, but also women roles were subverted as many women were participated actively and passively. Therefore recruited as freedom fighters and were active this perception should be relooked at to also participants in the armed warfare, Gann 2 . include women in freedom struggle in Kenya. Therefore Gann asserts that not only did women Liberation struggle should therefore be looked motivated men to soldier on with the war of from the point of view of men and women at the independence but also actively participated in same time. This research unmasked that Kenyan liberation struggle. women had resilience and bravery, even in harsh Henda has also written on the role played by environments like women in any part of the women in the freedom struggle in Angola. In his world who were involved in freedom struggles. work Henda writes on Organization of Angolan Satwinder1, has studied the role of Women in Women that was a women liberation movement. India‟s Struggle for Freedom and who have been She notes these move,ment that was formed in forgotten for example Raj Kumari Gupta and 1962 by women as a wing for women of the Tara Rani Srivastava all of India. Marcela Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, Castro, wife of Marcos Tupac Amaru, took part 1 K. Satwinder, (2013) Role of Women in India‟s 2 L. Gann, (1981) The Struggle for Zimbabwe, Struggle for Freedom: GhaggerSarai, India. Praeger Publishers: New York. 1 International Journal of African History Research Vol. 1(1) pp 1 - 24, Copyright: ©2017 IJAHR Open Access Online @ http://onlinesciencejournals.com/index.php/ijahr played a significant role in supporting men seldom written by scholars. During the during the struggle in Angola. independence struggles, only the pursuits of In Kenya many scholars have tried to unmask male fighters were captured. This was so women‟s participation in the struggle for because of the prevailing patriarchal structures. freedom. Historical scholars of the recent times Women hardly take up key decision making have just quoted the role of women‟s positions owing to the lack of education and participation in Mau Mau movement without information, triple domestic roles, negative giving an inside about their participation in the cultures, and poor policies and therefore their Mau Mau war. These historical scholars have historical contribution may be forgotten. The outlined the role of men in the Mau Mau study Kenyan women have been approached activities but hardly do they mention the role from psychological, anthropological and played by women in the movement. Kershaw3 sociological perspectives. has written about women and their involvement Study of women‟s participation is not only to the issue of land where he also notes the roles important but necessary to establish the role of girls played in the bartering price of land. women in historical domain in time and space. Kanogo 4 has researched on women squatters Therefore this study is worth undertaking as among the Agikuyu, and though scanty mention there are few works focusing on the roles of them, she says that women‟s place in Mau women played in the struggle for independence Mau was of great deal in the Mau Mau war. in Kenya and in such works they are only Women were the Mau Mau stronghold mentioned. according to her in families as their male 1.2 Purpose of the Study counterparts had to either take an oath along The purpose of this study was to establish the with them or remain quiet about their beliefs. role played by selected women in the struggle Kanongo also notes from the Western Kenya for Kenya‟s independence. there was Mang‟ana Ogonje Nyar Ugu, the first African female colonial chief in Western; Moraa 2.0 Literature Review Moka Ng‟iti, a female freedom fighter from A lot of work has been written and covered on Kisii and Eiokalaine OM‟barugu an assistant women‟s involvement in the war of liberation in chief in Eastern part of Kenya. However, these various parts of Africa. While all this has been contributions have never been recognised for done a historical study on women‟s involvement their worth in the fight for independence. in the struggle for self-determination in Kenya Among the Agriama of Kenya the heroine, has not been done to its logical end. There are Mekatilili wa Menzas‟ contributed immensely in few written documents concerning the history of creating awareness among her people. She was women participation in the struggle for one of the first women in Kenya to rise up independence in Kenya. These documents give against the British in 1913. Mekatilili had good us some background information to our study. oratory skills, was charismatic and brave. These Women were able to organize themselves skills earned her a huge following and saw her through associations like the Market women to rally the Giriama to take oaths and sacrifices to fight a collective cause. The colonialists had restore their autonomy. introduced certain policies and regulations which curtailed the pleasure of social, economic 1.1 Statement of the Problem and political privileges of women. Women‟s Despite the immense contribution of women appointments to public offices were very low during the struggle for independence in Kenya, even though women were granted the right to their role in shaping Kenya‟s historiography is vote in the 1950s in the South and in the North in the 1980s. Women's War of 1929 “also 3 G. Kershaw, (1997) Mau Mau From Below, James known as the Aba Women‟s Riots”, in which Currey. Igbo market women protested British taxation, 4 T. Kanogo, (1987) Squatters and the Roots of Mau was a notable example of women using their Mau, London. traditional power against colonial rulers. 2 International Journal of African History Research Vol. 1(1) pp 1 - 24, Copyright: ©2017 IJAHR Open Access Online @ http://onlinesciencejournals.com/index.php/ijahr Therefore women saw themselves as the wives, the gender that was supportive of its victims of circumstance and victims of the mate. A woman was supposed to be confined at colonial oppression, these motivated them to the home, and this showed a mark of “gentility,” either directly or indirectly join the freedom and of a man‟s ability to support his family. struggle. Women in Kenya were on the Hence African men and women, aspiring to be at receiving end during the colonial period when the level of their colonial masters, began to their men ran away to urban centres to look for encourage women‟s docility as a mark of employment. Women experienced brutality from civilisation. The concept of “leisured” wife as the Europeans including rape, torture, land proof of “gentility” explains, why most women alienation and imposition of tax (poll tax, breast of African leaders did not compete to rise the tax and hut tax). Women also were forcefully social and political hierarchy at the same time as recruited to work on European farms when their their husbands. men were away, and due to this kind of It is against this background therefore that at oppression they were motivated to join their the beginning of the revolutionary struggle, male counterparts in the liberation struggle. Zimbabwean women, like their counterparts in Traditional practices largely dictated what Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Angola joined became culturally accepted rights and duties of the war of liberation.