JINJA TRANSFORMED CYRIL & RHONA SOFER EAST AFRICAN STUDIES No. 4 Price 16s. 6d. EAST AFRICAN STUDIES DISTRIBUTION In East Africa EAST AFRICAN LITERATURE BUREAU P.O. BOX 2022, NAIROBI, KENYA Outside East Africa KEGAN PAUL TRENCH TRUBNER & CO. LTD. 43 GREAT RUSSELL STREET LONDON, W.C.I *EAST AFRICAN STUDIES Already published No. 1. LAND TENURE IN BUGANDA, by A. B. Mukwaya. East Africa 2s. Great Britain 3s. No. 2. THE INDIGENOUS POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE SUKUMA, by H. Cory. East Africa 3s. 6d. Great Britain 4s. No. 3. THE TRADE OF LAKE VICTORIA, A Geographical Study, by V. C. R. Ford. lis. No. 4. JINJA TRANSFORMED, A Social Survey of a Multi-racial Township, by C. & R. Sofer. 16s. 6d. Forthcoming Titles LABOUR MIGRATION IN A RURAL ECONOMY, A Study of the Ngoni and Menduli of Southern Tanganyika. By P. H. Gulliver. BWAMBA ECONOMY, The Development of a Primitive Subsistence Economy in Uganda, by E. H. Winter. *EAST AFRICAN LINGUISTIC STUDIES No. 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF IRAQW, by W. H. Whiteley. 10s. 6d. No. 2. A LINGUISTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY OF EAST AFRICA, by W. H. Whiteley and A. E. Gutkind. 5s. 6d. •Orders for the whole series may be placed with the following :— East African Literature Bureau, P.O. Box 2022, Nairobi, or Messrs. Kegan Paul Trench Trubner & Co., Ltd., 43 Gt. Russell St., W.C.I. OTHER PUBLICATIONS Already published ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TRIBAL CHANGE, edited by A. I. Richards. 30s. Cambridge. Heffers. 1954. Forthcoming BWAMBA : A Structural-Functional Analysis of a Patrilineal Society, by E. H. Winter. Cambridge. Heffers. ALUR SOCIETY: A Study of Processes and Types of Domination, by A. W. Southall. Cambridge* Heffers. BANTU BUREAUCRACY : A Study of Conflict and Change in the Political Institutions of an Bast African People, by L. A. Fallers. Cambridge. Heffers. JIN JA TRANSFORMED A SOCIAL SURVEY OF A MULTI-RACIAL TOWNSHIP CYRIL SOFER, Ph.D. RHONA SOFER, Ph.D. EAST AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH KAMPALA, UGANDA 1955 JINJA TRANSFORMED CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER II OBJECTIVES AND METHODS 4 CHAPTER III HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 11 CHAPTER IV POPULATION COMPOSITION 16 CHAPTER V POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE 25 CHAPTER VI OCCUPATIONS AND INCOMES 37 CHAPTER VII STANDARDS OF LIVING 56 CHAPTER VIII HOUSEHOLD AND KINSHIP UNITS 77 CHAPTER IX LINKS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD 102 CHAPTER X VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS 107 CHAPTER XI CONCLUSIONS 113 APPENDIX Notes on Surveys and Statistical Tests 118 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Map. Jinja township. Frontispiece 1. The Owen Falls before the dam. Facing page 20 2. The new dam at the Owen Falls. „ „ 20 3. Immigrant labour—black and white. „ „ 21 4. Street scene in Jinja. „ „ 21 5. Soga woman peeling bananas. „ „ 36 « 6. African housing—Walukuba. „ „ 37 7. Wealthy Asian dwelling. „ „ 37 8. Rural-type housing—Makenke. „ „ 52 Index of Tables TABLE SUBJECT PAGE I Racial Composition of Jinja Township, 1948 and 1951 15 II Percentage Distribution of African Population by Sex and Age 16 III Percentage Distribution of African Population by Sex and Birthplace 18 IV Percentage Distribution of African Population by Age, Sex and Time spent in Jinja 19 V Percentage Distribution of African Population by Sex and Main Tribe 20 VI Percentage Distribution of Asian Population by Sex and Age 21 VII Percentage Distribution of Asian Population by Sex and Birthplace .. 21 VIII Percentage Distribution of Asian Population by Age, Sex and Time spent in Jinja 22 IX Percentage Distribution of Asian Population by Main Sub-groups 22 X Percentage Distribution of European Population by Sex and Age .. 23 XI Distribution of European Population by Sex and Nationality 23 XII Distribution of European Population over 20 years of Age by Sex and Length of Residence in Jinja 24 XIII Percentage Distribution of African, Asian and European Males between Main Economic Activities 38 XIV Percentage Distribution of African Adult Males between Occupations 40 XV Percentage Distribution of African Adult Males by Number of Jobs and Length of Stay in Jinja 41 XVI Cumulative Distribution (per cent.) of African Adult Males by Educational Standard attained 42 XVII Distribution of African Males by Educational Standard and Tribe .. 43 XVIII Distribution of African Adult Males by Educational Standard and Occupation 44 XIX Distribution of African Adult Males by Present Occupation and Cash Earnings in Month Preceding Survey 45 XX Distribution of African Adult Male Earners by Educational Standards and Earnings .. .. .. .. .. 46 XXI Distribution of African Adult Males by Occupation and Main Tribe 47 XXII Distribution of Gainfully-occupied Asian Males by Economic Activity and Occupation 49 XXIII Distribution of Gainfully-occupied Asian Males by Economic Activity and whether or not Self-employed 50 XXIV Cumulative Distribution (per cent.) of African and Asian Adult Males by Educational Standard 50 XXV Distribution of Gainfully-occupied Asian Males by Occupation and Educational Standard 51 XXVI Distribution of Gainfully-occupied Asian Males by Economic Activity and Earnings 52 XXVII Distribution of Gainfully-occupied Asian Males by Occupation and Earnings 52 XXVIII Distribution of European Male Population over 20 years by Earnings 54 XXIX Distribution of African Households by Type of Roof and Walls of their Accommodation .. 59 XXX Distribution of African Households by Form of Tenure and Location 61 XXXI Distribution of African Households by Main Tribe and Form of Housing Tenure .. .. .... 62 XXXII Percentage Distribution of African Households by Size and Number of Rooms 63 XXXIII Distribution of African Households by Si* and Average Number of Rooms 64 XXXIV Distribution of African Households by Location and whether they have Kitchens 65 XXXV Distribution of African Households by Location and Type of Latrine 65 XXXVI Distribution of African Households by Location and Source of Water Supply 66 TABLE SUBJECT PAGE XXXVII Distribution of African Households by Rent paid and Number of Rooms .. .. .. .. • • • • • • • • 67 XXXVIII Distribution of Asian Households by Roof and Wall Materials .. 70 XXXIX Distribution of Asian Households by Size and Number of Rooms .. 71 XL Distribution of Asian Rented Households by Rent and Number of Rooms .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 XLI Distribution of Asian Households by Size and Number of Servants 72 XLII Distribution of European Population by Type of Household .. 74 XLIII Distribution of European Private Households by Size and Number of Servants 75 XLIV Distribution of African Households by Type and Size .. .. 78 XLV Distribution of African Households by Location and Number of Adult Females .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 79 XLVI DistributioNumbenr ooff One-TribAdult Femalee Africas n Household.. s by Main Tribe and 80 XLVII Distribution of African Households by Location and Number of Earners .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 81 XLVIII Distribution of African Households by Location and whether Shared 82 XLIX Distribution of African Household Members by Relationship to Male Household Head 83 L Distribution of African Males by Age and Marital Status .. .. 84 LI Distribution of African Females by Age and Marital Status .. .. 85 LII Distribution of African Adult Males by Locality and Number of Wives Alive 87 LIII Distribution of African Adult Males by Tribe and Amount of Marriage Payment 87 LIV Distribution of African Adult Females by Years Married and Number of Children Born Alive 89 LV Distribution of African Adult Females by Marital Status and Number of Children Born Alive 89 LVI Distribution of African Adult Females by Tribe and Number of Children Born Alive 90 LVII Distribution of African "Married " Adult Females by Marital Status and Years Married 90 LVIII Distribution of African Adult Females by Number of Children Alive now and Main Tribe 90 LIX Distribution of Reported Deaths of Children by Age at Death .. 91 LX Distribution of Asian Households by Type and Size 93 LXI Distribution of Asian Households by Size and Number of Adult Females 94 LXII Distribution of Asian Households by Size and Number of Children .. 95 LXIII DistributioEarnerns of Asian Households by Size and Number of Male 95 LXIV Distribution of Asian Household Members by Relationship to Male Household Head and Age 96 LXV Distribution of Asian Adults by Sex, Age and Marital Status .. 97 LXVI Distribution of Asian Adult Females (15+) by Age and Number of Children Born Alive 97 LXVII Distribution of Asian Adult Females (15+) by Years Married and Number of Children Born Alive 98 LXVIII Distribution of Asian Adult Females (15+) by Sub-group and Number of Children Born Alive 98 LXIX Distribution of Reported Deaths of Asian Children by Age at Death 99 LXX Distribution of European Adult Females by Age and Number of Children Born Alive (Present Marriage) 101 LXXI Percentage Distribution of Reasons Given by African Married Men for Absence of Wives 102 LXXII Distribution of Purposes for which Remittances are made by African Men 103 LXXIII Distribution of Occupied Asian Males Born Outside Uganda by Length of Stay and Number of Home Visits 104 LXXIV Distribution of Occupied Asian Males Born Outside Uganda by Number of Home Visits and Birthplace 104 vi FOREWORD HE social survey described in this book was completed in December, 1951. The present report was prepared by Cyril and Rhona Sofer Tby. December, 1952, but publication has been delayed by a number of difficulties and misfortunes, culminating in the loss of the corrected galleys in a Comet disaster between London and Entebbe so that the whole work had to be begun again. The Nairobi printer who undertook the work found himself unable to complete it, and the report had to be set up yet again by the present printer. During these unfortunate delays many changes have taken place in Jinja. The industrial development foreshadowed in the Sofers' report has been considerable. The Jinja Dam which was still under construction at the time of the Sofers' work was opened by H.M. The Queen in May, 1954, and additional industrial undertakings have been built.