The Historical Process of Nandi Movement Into the Uasin Gishu District of the Kenya Highlands
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THE HISTORICAL PROCESS OF NANDI MOVEMENT INTO UASIN GISHU DISTRICT OF THE KENYA HIGHLANDS: 1906-1963 BY ABRAHAM KIBET ARAP LAGAT UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI LIBRARY A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfilment For The Degree of Master of ARTS In The University of Nairobi, Department of History, 1995 n i r r i . ARATION other University. work and has not been presented for a degree in any s Thesis is my original ABRAHAM KIBET ARAP LAGAT. Thesis has * e n s— for « — “ 3 “ ^ DR. MACHARIA MUNENE 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................................vii ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................................................... viii M A P S ................................................................................................................................................ xi CHAPTER ONE PRELIMINARIES OF THE STUDY ......................................................................1 1:0. .......................................................4 1:1. i •? ..................................................................5 ...............................................................6 1 • • ........................................................... 14 1 .‘t..A ....................................................... 16 1 . J • .................................................... 17 1.0. ....................................................... 19 CHAPTER TWO NANDI PRE-COLONIAL HISTORY z.u«'j-n ................................ 21 ................................ 21 Z. i « ................................... 23 'lZ:Z. •'l rormauon and C/xpaiijiuii ui me l^auui .......................................... ................................ 30 1 . 5 . oOClO-JrOllUCai urgaillbauuii ui uic ........................................................... 2:4. ...........................34 in 1:5. Pre-colonial Economic Organization.......................................................................................38 Notes........................................................................................................................................ 43 CHAPTER THREE THE MIGRATION OF NANDI SQUATTER COMMUNITY: 1906-1918. 3 :0. Squatter System.......................................................................................................................48 3:1. Land Alienation Among The Nandi........................................................................................50 3:2. Factors Behind Nandi Migration ..........................................................................................52 3:3. Early Squatter Recruitment...................................................................................................... 54 3:4. Kaffir Farming...................................: .............................................................' ...................57 3:5. The Other Squatters In White Highlands ............................................................................ 59 Notes........................................................................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER FOUR NANDI SQUATTERS AND SETTLERS: 1918-1937 4:0. The 1918 Resident Labourers Ordinance................................................................................64 4:1. Further Squatter Legislation.....................................................................................................68 4:2. Squatters And Settlers.............................................................................................................. 71 4:3. The Nandi Squatters Status in Inter-War Period.................................................................. 73 4:4. Settlers And Squatter Stock .................................................................................................. 75 N otes.......................................................................................................................................81 CHAPTER FIVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NANDI SQUATTER WELFARE: 1937-1954. 5:0. The 1937 Resident Native Labourers Ordinance.................................................................. 84 5:1. Uasin Gishu District Council And Squatter.......................................................................... 85 iv Notes 101 CHAPTER SIX INDEPENDENCE BARGAIN AND THE NANDI SQUATTERS IN UASIN GISHU 1955-1963. 5:0. Mau Mau and Its Aftermath................................................................................................... 105 5:1. Swynnerton Plan and Nandi Squatters................................................................................ 107 6:2. Nandi Leaders Response to the Elimination of Squatter Stock......................................... 110 6:3. District Council And Elimination of Squatter Stock...............................................................Ill 6:4. Decolonization Politics and Land Question.................................................................... 118 N otes.........................! ............. ........................................................................................ 124 CHAPTER SEVEN CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 129 BIBLIOGRAPHY (i) Prim ary.................................................................................................................................... 1^8 (ii) Secondary .............................................................................................................................. ^ GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................. 146 v ABSTRACT This study reconstructs the history of Nandi squatter labourers in Uasin Gishu district of lenya between 1906 and 1963. It portrays the conflict and contradictions of a colonial situation. The najor players were the squatters, the colonial state and the European settlers. By impinging on Nandi socio-economic institutions, the colonial administration subjected the Sandi to specific demands. These included the alienation of their land, creation of a reserve and taxation. The colonial presence was also an important element in the consolidation of the once divergent Bororiosiek into a homogeneous Nandi society. The thesis shows that the Nandi, though severely constrained, were not disheartened by colonial land alienation. Deprived of their vital grazing land and salt licks, they resourcefully exploited other survival opportunities in squatterdom. It is finally suggested that aspects of underdevelopment of the Nandi squatters by the settlers, supported by the colonial government, was common in the whole process of squatterdom. The various Legislations ordering for the elimination of squatter stock was a means of underdeveloping the Nandi squatters whose cattle were a symbol of wealth and development. The white settlers represented the capitalist development which underdeveloped the squatters by eliminating their stock and limiting the land for cultivation. This study thus hinges on the framework of underdevelopment theory. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work is the culmination of one year of research into Nandi squatter labourers in Uasin }ishu district of the Kenya Highlands in the period 1906-1963. The initial undertaking owes much a the support, encouragement and intellectual stimulation given by my supervisor, Dr. Macharia vlunene of the University of Nairobi. His constructive and stimulating criticism of the earlier drafts s highly appreciated.I am also grateful to the University of Nairobi who without their financial support, I would not have carried out the study effectively. I am greatly indebted also to the Kenya National Archives staff and to the many officials in the other libraries and archives I consulted who so patiently assisted me in locating documents. I wish to thank my various informants who willingly took time from their busy schedules to be interviewed. The data thus gathered has been vital in the writing of this thesis. I would also like to thank Abraham Sirma and John Mutai who assisted me in the fieldwork research as research assistants. Miss Dorcas Samoei typed the whole manuscript. I am very grateful for her patience and good work. Finally, special thanks are due to my parents for their generous encouragement throughout my studies. However, the responsibility for any errors or distortions in this thesis is entirely mine. ABBREVIATIONS DC: District Commissioner DO: District Officer 5 A LB: East Africa Literature Bureau EAPH: East Africa Publishing House KLB: Kenya Literature Bureau HAK: Historical Association of Kenya KNA: Kenya National Archives PC: Provincial Commissioner RVP: Rift Valley Province NDI: Nandi District UG: Uasin Gishu District NDAR: Nandi District Annual Report LAB: Labour HMSO: His Majesty’s Stationary Office OUP: Oxford University Press UP: University Press NZA: Nyanza CO: Colonial Office ACTS: African Centre for Technology Studies viii IX X Location Of District Map showing the location of Lias in Gish u District in Kenya. Ministry of Planning and