Politics and nationalism in colonial Kenya: the case of the Babukusu of Bungoma District, C. 1894-1963 Peter Weseka To cite this version: Peter Weseka. Politics and nationalism in colonial Kenya: the case of the Babukusu of Bungoma District, C. 1894-1963. Social Anthropology and ethnology. 2000. dumas-01302492 HAL Id: dumas-01302492 https://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/dumas-01302492 Submitted on 14 Apr 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. POLITICS AND NATIONALISM IN COLONIAL KENYA: THE CASE OF THE BABUKUSU OF BUNGOMA DISTRICT, C. 1894— 1963 BY PETER WAFULA WEKESA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF ARTS H PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS OF KENYATTA UNIVERSITY. JUNE 2000. FRA FRAOO683 OL / c5 Ii Declaration This thesis is my original work and to the best of my knowledge has not been submitted for a degree in any other university. Peter Wafula Wekesa This thesis has been submitted with our approval as University Supervisors Prof. Eric Masinde Aseka tIU DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Silvester Wafula Wekesa and Loice Nabukwangwa Wafula, my wife J4edwig Joy Ombunda and our son Ian Sirniyu Waflula. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The research and interpretative efforts that resulted in this thesis received great assistance from various people and institutions. Although I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to all of them for lack of adequate words, space and time, let me take this opportunity to mention a few of them. First, I would like to express my sincere and special gratitude to Kenyatta University and the Department of History for awarding me a scholarship and allowing me to pursue studies for the degree of Master of Arts. It is within the Department of Histoiy that my intellectual abilities were nurtured and developed. In the same vein, I wish to extend my appreciation to the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) for advancing to me a research grant that went a long way in helping me complete the research. Second, my special appreciation goes to my supervisors, Prof. Eric Masinde Aseka and Dr. Mildred A. J. Ndeda for their invaluable advice and guidance at all the stages of the thesis. Their commitment and tireless sacrifice to read, edit, comment, and provide very stimulating and thought provoking suggestions made the conclusion of the thesis feasible. Third, I am deeply indebted to my lecturers in the Department of History, Kenyatta University whose invaluable suggestions and insights into this work continued to be a source of encouragement all through the tenure of the research. They not only provided a scholarly environment that I required but also inspired me both materially and morally. Special mention here should be made of Prof. G. Jal, Dr. H. Kiriama, S. M. V Omwoyo, B. A. Gimode, L. Ngari, D.O. Okello, L. Lemoosa, W. Ndiiri, E. Kisiang'ani, J. Imbisi, F. Kiruthu, W. Musalia, Dr. P. Kakai Wanyonyi and Godwin Rapando Murunga. The latter two deserve additional merit for not only availing to me the relevant literature that broadened my approach to the topic, but also for providing a good forum for academic discussions. They constantly supported me in various ways when the work threatened to stall. Further thanks are expressed to the staff of several libraries that were supportive and helpful during the research. The librarians at the Moi library at Kenyatta University, the Jomo Kenyatta Memorial Library at University of Nairobi, the Macmillan library and the Kenya National Archives deserve special gratitude. Their friendliness and readiness to avail the relevant literature made the work of the thesis a reality. My thanks are also due to all the informants who yielded valuable data in the field. Their constant interest in the work, their warm welcome and openness during the interviews produced useful results for the thesis. Special mention here should be made of Uncle Protus Watima and L. Wangwe for introducing me to various informants in Chwele and Malakisi areas respectively. I am also deeply indebted to members of my family for the support, encouragement and warm hospitality, which they provided to me. To my parents, Silvester Wafula Wekesa and Loice Nabukwangwa Wafula of Lumboka village, I do not know how to thank them well enough. They have always supported my academic pursuits up to this level. It is their sacrifice and foresight that has always opened academic opportunities for me. To my Uncles, Cleophas and Richard Wekesa, sister Phillis vi Wabuke, brother Chrispinus Wafula, Cousin Godfrey Sifuna Wanyonyi and auntie Caro Wamaiwa thank you for your moral and fmancial support. You always ensured that I was comfortable. To my treasured wife Hedwig Ombunda, my thanks are inexpressible. Her patience, understanding and encouragement made this work come to a fruitful completion. To our son Ian Simiyu Wafula I thank him for allowing me to use the books and pens that he always wanted to 'use'. I know how much I deprived him of time and resources in the pursuit of this noble goal. I would also like to register my appreciation to my colleagues and friends. Together we endured the struggle and shared a wide range of academic ideas. My only classmate Maximus Koimbori,, Martin Nabiswa Wasike, Zachary A. Kwena, Musa Olaka Wakhungu and Micheal Wainaina Mwaura continued to be a source of encouragement to me. Finally, my sincere appreciation goes to Metrine Makanda and Mary Khaemba for the tedious work of neatly typing all the chapters of the thesis. I feel proud of their effort to bring the work to its fmal form. Any errors in the work, however, whether of omission or commission are entirely my own. Vill TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Declaration------------------ - --------------------------------------------------------- ii Dedication----------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii Acknowledgement------------------------------------------------------------------ iv Table of Contents-------------------------------------------------------------------- vii List of Abbreviations---------------------------------------------------------------- x Abstract------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xi CHAPTER ONE 1.0. Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 1.1 Area of the Study----------------------------------------------------------- 3 Maps------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 1.2. Literature Review --------------------------- - ------------------------------ 8 1.3. Statement of the Problem------------------------------------------------ 16 1.4. Objectives of the Study ------------------------------------- ------------- 17 1.5. Research Premises-------------------------------------------------------- 17 1.6. Theoretical Framework-------------------------------------------------- 18 1.7. Justification and Significance of the Study--------------------------- 24 1.8. Research Methodology-------------------------------------------------- 25 1.9. Scope and Limitation of the Study------------------------------------- 28 CHAPTER TWO 2.0 THE BUKUSU SOCIETY, ITS POLITICAL ORGANIZATION AND RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURING COMMUNITIES ON THE EYE OF THE COLONIAL RULE ------------------------------------29 2.1. Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------- 29 2.2. Migration, settlement and Early History of the Babukusu 30 2.3. The Political and Social organisation of the Bukusu Society 40 2.4. The Bukusu Relations with Neighbouring communities-------------- 55 2.5. Summary ------------------------------------- --------------------------- 62 CHAPTER THREE 3.0. ASPECTS OF THE BUKUSU ECONOMY, RELIGION AND EDUCATION----------------------------------------------------66 3.1. Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------66 3.2. The Economy of the Babukusu-----------------------------------------66 VIII 3.3. The Babukusu Relations with the Arab-Swahili Traders------------70 3.4. Religious activities among the Babukusu ---------------- ------------- 78 3.5. The Bukusu Indigenous education-------------------------------------83 3.6. Summary------------------------------------------------------------------ 91 CHAPTER FOUR 4.0. THE EARLY BUKUSU RESISTANCE TO BRITISH COLONIALISM TO C. 1918---------------------------------------- 93 4.1. Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------- 93 4.2. The European penetration in Western Kenya and the Establishment of colonial Rule ----------------------------------------- 94 4.3. The Lumboka-chetambe war and its aftermath--------------------- 102 4.4. The Bukusu Nationalism after the Establishment of Colonial administration-------------------------------------------- 121 4.5. Summary--------------------------------------------------------------- 153 CHAPTER FIVE 5.0. THE BUKUSU NATIONALIST POLITICS IN THE INTER-WAR PERIOD----------------------------------------------- 156 5.1. Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------