Kenyan Analysis Report Focus On: Nyanza Province, Kisii/Gusii Tribe

Kenyan Analysis Report Focus on: Nyanza Province, Kisii/Gusii Tribe

25 May 2013

Kenya History and Overview

Kenya is an East-African nation with a compelling history and rich culture. Sitting on the equator and bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, the ocean to the southeast, Tanzania to the south, Lake Victoria to the southwest, Uganda to the west, and South Sudan to the northwest, Kenya is a country full of beauty but also tragedy. The government has gone through many transitions, yet intense tribalism has held Kenya back. Tribalism has caused violence and economic hardship, with very low standard of living for most Kenyans. Yet, there is hope on the horizon for this sub-Saharan nation to unite under the Kenyan flag and become an international presence. From around the year 600 AD, Arab traders began to settle in the coastal regions of Kenya. The Bantu people also migrated into the country and today there are between 40 and 70 different tribes in Kenya, including: Luhya, Kisii, and Kikuyu. There are also nomadic pastoralists, the Turkana people, in the north and the warrior Maasai people in the south. Kenya became a British protectorate in 1895, and the first white people came to Kenya in the early 1900’s. By 1920 Kenya was undeniably under British rule. In 1947, Jomo Kenyatta became the leader of the KAU (Kenyan African Union), which campaigned for African Independence. In 1964, the East-African country gained its independence and declared itself The Republic of Kenya, with President Jomo Kenyatta and Vice President Jaramogi Ajuma Odinga Odinga, nicknamed “Odinga Odinga” (Profile 2012). When Kenyatta died in office in 1978, he was succeeded by Daniel arap Moi, and Kenya was declared a one party state by the National Assembly in 1982. In August of 1991, FORD (Forum for the Restoration of Democracy) was founded by six opposition leaders, including Odinga Odinga. All of the members were arrested and the party was outlawed. This upset the international community and creditors suspended valuable aid to Kenya. By December of the same year, a national conference agreed to introduce a multi-party political system. A year later, in 1992, Moi was re-elected in a multi-party election. A series of terrorist attacks took place between 1998 and 2002. The 1998 attack, which blew up the United States Embassy in Nairobi, is credited to terrorist group al-Qaeda (a militant Islamic extremist organization originating in Afghanistan). There was also a major attack in 2002, where there was a missile attack on an Israeli airplane which took of from Mombasa, and a bombing of the Kikambala Hotel in Mombasa which was hosting a large number of Israeli guests. Even recently, the militant group of al-Shabaab, a sector of al-Qaeda based in Somalia, has carried out a number of terrorist attacks in Kenya. In the 2002 democratic multi-party elections, which were judged free and fair by independent international onlookers, Mwai Kibaki beat the incumbent Moi and ended his 24 years in power. In 2007, disaster occurred as more than 1,500 Kenyans died from violence stemming from a disputed presidential election. The referendum of the constitution, which aimed to limit the powers of the president, was approved in 2010, again amidst controversy. Today, 37 million people live in the Republic of Kenya. There are three branches of government, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, just as the government of the United States. Freedom House, an independent organization ranking the freedom of all nations, ranks Kenya “Partly Free,” specifying that the press is “Partly Free” and the internet is “Free” (Kenya 2012). Kenya has had free and fair multi-part elections since 2002. The current president is Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo Kenyatta. Uhuru is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity being tried by the ICC (International Criminal Court). Kenya has one of the strongest economies in East Africa. Kenya’s total GDP is $34.8 billion U.S. dollars, which ranks them 86th in the world (in Kenya, they use Kenyan Shillings). Kenya’s GDP per capita is $1,800 which ranks them number 195 in the world. However, up to 40% of Kenyans are unemployed, with many more that gave up trying to find a job. Furthermore, at least 50% of people live below the poverty line. Major exports include tea, coffee, petroleum products, cement, sugarcane, animal hides, and more. Major export markets include Uganda (10%), Tanzania (9.7%), Netherlands (8.2%), USA (6.2%), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (4.2%). Major imports include machinery equipment, motor vehicles, iron, steel, and plastics. Major import markets include China (14.8%) and India (14%) (Africa: Kenya 2012). The data above explains much about Kenya. Their total GDP is very high for the region, but Kenya’s GDP per capita is obviously very low when compared to the rest of the world. Other countries that have similar per capita GDP’s are: Pakistan (GDP per capita: $2,800, world rank: 175), South Sudan (GDP per capita: $2,100, world rank: 190), and Nepal (GDP per capita: $1,200, world rank: 207) (World 2012). Because Kenya has a relatively high nominal GDP (86th in the world) and a relatively low GDP per capita (195th in the world), one can conclude that the wealth disparity in Kenya is a major problem. There are people living in certain areas, like the Central District, who make much money and live a lavish life. Yet, there are people living in more remote regions, such as to the west or to the north, who live off of less than $1 per day. This disparity is due to both geographical and climate differences, however is greatly exaggerated by ethnic and tribal differences. Only certain ethnicities have the opportunity to get rich, which just divides the country based on tribal differences. This is a major barrier to a growing economy. Yet, the economy does continue to show growth from year to year. The economy in Kenya growing, with a growth rate of 5% in 2011, 5.6% in 2010, and 2.6% in 2009. The GDP per capita also increased from $1,700 in 2009 to $1,800 in 20120. However, many people, especially in rural areas, live without basic necessities. Electricity, running water, and toilets are commodities that third world countries take for granted, yet are not present in many parts of Kenya. Education is a dream for many Kenyans who do not have the resources or money to attend school. There are thousands of street children that live in the streets of Kenya, often parentless due to their death from HIV/AIDS. Kenya receives aid from the Red Cross and many other global organizations. However, reoccurring violence has acted as a barrier to true help from the international community. Many times organizations will not want to enter areas that are in conflict, for fear of injury or death. In other cases, organizations stop sending aid money when nations are in conflict because the organization disagrees with the present violence. While Kenya does receive aid, the enormous amount of tribalism caused violence in Kenya is a major barrier to receiving sufficient aid from international organizations. There are 52 different tribes in Kenya and 69 different languages. Violence between tribes has been a theme throughout Kenya’s history and is still prevalent today. The Turkana people live in the northern parts of the nation and are completely nomadic. They heard hundreds of cattle, goat, and camel to stay alive. Many Turkana are armed with machine guns and attack neighboring Turkana tribes. These raids kill many Turkana every year. Given that there are up to 70 different tribes in Kenya, there are always skirmishes and fights for land and resources. Tribalism is a major problem in Kenya and the resulting violence has killed hundreds of thousands of people in Kenya’s history. Even today, tribal ethnicities are an extremely important characteristic in Kenya. Clashes stemming from the differences in tribal identifications are a problem that the Kenya government is trying to improve. In November of 2012, the largest single killing of Kenyan police officers in the northern region of the country. The Turkana tribesmen had stolen a herd of cattle from the neighboring Samburu tribe. As the police officers followed the Turkana to reclaim the cattle and return them to their rightful owners, the heavily armed Turkana opened fire on the Kenyan police. At least 38 police officers died in the raid (Police 2012). The tribal battles between the Turkana and Samburu had fatal implications for even the police officers of Kenya, showing just how deadly the violence can be throughout the country. A variety of other acts of violence plague Kenya as well. Terrorist bombings have been very frequent in Kenya, especially in Nairobi, Mombasa and coastal regions. Somalia’s most militant terrorist group, the al-Shabab, has launched attacks such as throwing two grenades into a church ceremony in Nairobi, killing 15 people (mostly children). Al-Queda attacks have also been present, such as setting off bombs in crowded Kenyan shopping areas. One reason for the attacks is the disagreement over religious beliefs between the Islamic terrorists and Christian Kenyans. Yet another reason for the attacks is Kenya’s military presence in Somalia, which the terrorists are against. BBC reports, “Militant group al-Shabab has repeatedly threatened to stage revenge attacks after Kenya sent troops to Somalia” (Blast 2012). Either way, these attacks contribute to violence in Kenya. Over the past many years, the Maasai people, who live in the southern regions of the nation, have also been engaged in fighting with other tribes in Kenya. Every Maasai boy’s dream is to become a warrior – the highest honor in Maasai culture. Maasai warriors are known highly trained and very courageous, and only carry with them a sword, shield, and spear (knife). The Rift Valley Province of Kenya has seen the most Maasai violence, where they have fought numerous other tribes for rights to land. The Maasai people have remained virtually unchanged despite great advances in technology all over the rest of the world, and are known for being some of the most traditional people anywhere in the world. Because they refuse to pick up guns like the other traditional tribes (Samburu, Turkana, etc) in the north, the Maasai have seen their territories shrink through the years. Yet, they continue to survive and remain rich in historic culture. Despite Kenya’s fascinating history and widely varied natural resources, violence has left its mark on the nation. Displaying one of the biggest economies in East Africa, there is hope that one day people will unite under a national identity instead of clinging to their tribal heritage as their only form of identification. When that happens, the economy flourish, violence will decrease, the standard of living will sky rocket, and Kenya will become a factor on the international level. Until then, however, most people in Kenya continue to live below the poverty line, struggling through one day at a time.

Below are two maps of Kenya.

Nyanza Province Overview

The Nyanza Province is one of eight of Kenya’s administrative provinces. It lies in the southwest corner of the country. The province is inhabited mostly by the Luo tribe, but also contains the Kisii/Gusii people, the Kuria people, and the Luhya people. The western border of the Nyanza Province borders Lake Victoria and the southern border borders Tanzania. There are a total of 5,442,411 people living in the region, which is about 12,600 square kilometers (about 4,890 square miles). The two largest cities in the Province are Kisumu and Kisii. Notable people from the region include Barack Obama Sr and Raila Odinga, a Kenyan politician. The Nyanza Province is one of the poorest in Kenya, with 63% of the population living on less than $1 per day. The province has the highest HIV prevalence rate in Kenya (14%) and also has the lowest life expectancies in the country (43 for women, 37 for men). The Nyanza Province also has the highest rates of malaria contraction and malarial death, although this is a problem more around the coasts of Lake Victoria and not in the mountain terrain near Keumbu. The Nyanza Province has the highest rate of female genitalia mutilation (FGM), although that rate has been decreasing. The Nyanza Province also has the highest rates of children under five mortality rate (206 deaths per 1,000 live births). A child born in the Nyanza Province is four times more likely to die before celebrating his or her fifth birthday than a child born in the Central Province (where Nairobi is located). The Nyanza Province also has the highest infant mortality rates in the country (133 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Below map showing the different provinces of Kenya and the primary ethnic group that lives there.

Kisii/Gusii Tribe Overview

The Kisii tribe (also referred to as the Gusii tribe or Abagusii people) is a Bantu ethnic group that lives in the highlands of the Nyanza Province. Kisiis are the sixth largest ethnic group in the country (comprising 7% of the population). Their ethnic language is Ekegusii. Possible originating in Cameroon, the ancestral Kisii tribes people migrated across Africa and entered Kenya from the west (from Uganda). They spent two generations living near Goye Bay (of Lake Victoria) before migrating west due to the expansion of the Luo and Maasai tribes. Due to civilization advancement and education the Kisii people have undergone drastic cultural changes. Kisii customs include mandatory female genitalia mutilation (although this is becoming increasingly frowned upon), and allowing men to marry more than one wife. The Kisii tribe is not in any current conflicts with neighboring tribes.

Below is a photo of Meir, an Abagusii girl, standing in the highlands in the east of the Nyanza Province. This is the fertile terrain that the Kisii tribe now inhabits.