Yes, Kenya is a Kikuyu Country
Yes, Kenya is a Kikuyu Country
In its effort to forge national unity and avoid communal strife, Kenya has been in denial. In truth, nations form around ethnic identities. The dominant among ethnic groups undoubtedly impose their language, culture and politics on a nation. Examples are replete across the world. No less than the English country is an example of how one language group successfully imposed itself on the lesser nations around it to form the global power known as United Kingdom. The Welsh, Scots and Irish though distinct in their ways happily do so under the English realm. In Kenya, though not readily acknowledged, we thrive or suffer under the Kikuyu realm. There may not be a Kikuyu figurehead to reign as the Queen does over the UK, but this truly is a Kikuyu country. Here is why.
Whereas many will point at population figures to discount this thesis- population figures alone do not define a nation. More important than population numbers is the influence a given population group has on a nation. For instance, Kenyan Indians probably number in the tens of thousands but their influence on the country is by far disproportionate. They are the nerve centre of the economy. Their ‘tribal imprint’ on the country extends far beyond their numbers. The same can be said of ethnic Somalis or the Kisii. On the contrary, the Luhya community has a far smaller tribal imprint on the country compared to its numbers. The Luo, despite their lower numbers, are direct competitors with the Kikuyu in trying to impose their worldview on the nation. The Mijikenda have not been able to impose their imprint beyond their ramshackle villages.
There are many factors that have pushed the Kikuyu to the forefront of the nation. It is a fact of history that the Kikuyu organised at grassroots level to fight colonial rule. At independence, they were probably the only tribe with a vision and plan for the whole country. With the departure of the white settler, they sought to take his place. Forth they went, wherever the settler left. That is how a good portion of Rift Valley became a part of Central Kenya or to put it bluntly, Kikuyuland. The Kikuyu had a higher consciousness of nationhood than any other tribal group. Through their networks they knew a community’s opportunities were not limited to the few ridges they find themselves in at a given time. With time Kikuyu interests have grown beyond land and agriculture; into the professions, business, transport, manufacturing, tourism, banking, real estate, services, import& export and most disturbing for some- politics.
The Kikuyu tribal imprint extends far beyond its numbers and right into the nerve centre of the nation. If any force was to harm Kikuyu interests in any one of the sectors named, no doubt it would lead to shrinkage of the sector and the national interest would be harmed as a result. The story is told of how in the aftermath of the 1992 ‘Molo Clashes’ Kalenjin tribesmen suffered a transport crisis after Kikuyu operators withdrew their vehicles. It may be argued that the Kikuyu had undue advantage from the first Kenyatta government and have probably had a push from the Kibaki rule. In total, Kenya has been under 25 years of ‘Kikuyu rule’ as a result. For 24 years the country lived under ‘Kalenjin rule’. Yet the Kalenjin tribal imprint does not extend much beyond their native Rift Valley. In fact, their imprint, dims compared to the Luo imprint. The advantage brought on by proximity to power has not had the same effect on the Kalenjin as it has on the Kikuyu. Probably, the Kalenjin used their power to reassert themselves across their tribal lands while the Kikuyu asserted themselves across the nation and even projected into the world.
In so many ways Kikuyu interests have married into other tribal interests. The Kisii, probably hemmed in by land scarcity, have followed Kikuyu footsteps into the Rift Valley and in business. As such, Kisii interests in the two sectors mirror the Kikuyu view. Namely; there should be free and unfettered access to land anywhere in the country and the right to settle and do business anywhere. The Gikuyu have so ably fronted Meru and Embu interests to the extent many other tribal groups do not distinguish the latter two from the former. In politics, the ‘lesser’ Gema communities have subordinated their aspirations in much the same way the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish do to the English.
In trading, the Kikuyu are competitors and partners of the Somali. The small scale Kikuyu trader will buy from the Somali wholesaler at Garissa Lodge for resale elsewhere. They may not always see eye to eye but are forced by circumstance to keep business open. At the Garissa town cattle market, truckloads head for Nairobi and the central Kenya market. It is Kikuyu produce that keeps the markets at the coast bustling. The Swahili woman frying viazi karai at Mlaleo in Mombasa may not have set eyes on a potato farm but it is the Kikuyu farmer and Kongowea market broker that keeps her supplied. The busloads zooming from Kisumu, Bungoma and Kakamega are pandering to Kikuyu interests in the City of Nairobi. In Lodwar, in the far reaches of the northern districts it is the Kikuyu trader and transporter that keep the markets supplied.
The examples are many and all these point to one fact- the Kikuyu are wired into the fabric of this country in many ways. If the Kikuyu flourish- as they have in the last ten years- the country flourishes and it has! If their fortunes dwindle- as they did during the ‘Nyayo Years’- the country suffers as well.
In politics, Kenya has had a love-hate relationship with the Kikuyu. Optimism was highest in 2002 when, like back in 1963, Kenya joined with the Kikuyu to oust oppression. In 2002, Kenya was rated the most optimistic country in the world. In 2007, optimism ebbed when Kenya ganged up against the Kikuyu. True to form, the Kikuyu held out for a piece of the pie- some would say the bigger piece. Perhaps the biggest mistake Kenya made back in 2007- or during the Nyayo Years- was in trying to wrestle the Kikuyu out of contention for power. It is only natural that those with the biggest stake in the country should have a say on how it is governed. This is true of the Kikuyu and even the ‘Indians’. The ‘Indians’ may not make it on the ballot but must have the ear of government at the highest level. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling on the petitions challenging Uhuru Kenyatta's election as President we had better get used to the fact Kenya is more of a Kikuyu country than any
In its effort to forge national unity and avoid communal strife, Kenya has been in denial. In truth, nations form around ethnic identities. The dominant among ethnic groups undoubtedly impose their language, culture and politics on a nation. Examples are replete across the world. No less than the English country is an example of how one language group successfully imposed itself on the lesser nations around it to form the global power known as United Kingdom. The Welsh, Scots and Irish though distinct in their ways happily do so under the English realm. In Kenya, though not readily acknowledged, we thrive or suffer under the Kikuyu realm. There may not be a Kikuyu figurehead to reign as the Queen does over the UK, but this truly is a Kikuyu country. Here is why.
Whereas many will point at population figures to discount this thesis- population figures alone do not define a nation. More important than population numbers is the influence a given population group has on a nation. For instance, Kenyan Indians probably number in the tens of thousands but their influence on the country is by far disproportionate. They are the nerve centre of the economy. Their ‘tribal imprint’ on the country extends far beyond their numbers. The same can be said of ethnic Somalis or the Kisii. On the contrary, the Luhya community has a far smaller tribal imprint on the country compared to its numbers. The Luo, despite their lower numbers, are direct competitors with the Kikuyu in trying to impose their worldview on the nation. The Mijikenda have not been able to impose their imprint beyond their ramshackle villages.
There are many factors that have pushed the Kikuyu to the forefront of the nation. It is a fact of history that the Kikuyu organised at grassroots level to fight colonial rule. At independence, they were probably the only tribe with a vision and plan for the whole country. With the departure of the white settler, they sought to take his place. Forth they went, wherever the settler left. That is how a good portion of Rift Valley became a part of Central Kenya or to put it bluntly, Kikuyuland. The Kikuyu had a higher consciousness of nationhood than any other tribal group. Through their networks they knew a community’s opportunities were not limited to the few ridges they find themselves in at a given time. With time Kikuyu interests have grown beyond land and agriculture; into the professions, business, transport, manufacturing, tourism, banking, real estate, services, import& export and most disturbing for some- politics.
The riches of Kenya: Tea bushes
The Kikuyu tribal imprint extends far beyond its numbers and right into the nerve centre of the nation. If any force was to harm Kikuyu interests in any one of the sectors named, no doubt it would lead to shrinkage of the sector and the national interest would be harmed as a result. The story is told of how in the aftermath of the 1992 ‘Molo Clashes’ Kalenjin tribesmen suffered a transport crisis after Kikuyu operators withdrew their vehicles. It may be argued that the Kikuyu had undue advantage from the first Kenyatta government and have probably had a push from the Kibaki rule. In total, Kenya has been under 25 years of ‘Kikuyu rule’ as a result. For 24 years the country lived under ‘Kalenjin rule’. Yet the Kalenjin tribal imprint does not extend much beyond their native Rift Valley. In fact, their imprint, dims compared to the Luo imprint. The advantage brought on by proximity to power has not had the same effect on the Kalenjin as it has on the Kikuyu. Probably, the Kalenjin used their power to reassert themselves across their tribal lands while the Kikuyu asserted themselves across the nation and even projected into the world.
In so many ways Kikuyu interests have married into other tribal interests. The Kisii, probably hemmed in by land scarcity, have followed Kikuyu footsteps into the Rift Valley and in business. As such, Kisii interests in the two sectors mirror the Kikuyu view. Namely; there should be free and unfettered access to land anywhere in the country and the right to settle and do business anywhere. The Gikuyu have so ably fronted Meru and Embu interests to the extent many other tribal groups do not distinguish the latter two from the former. In politics, the ‘lesser’ Gema communities have subordinated their aspirations in much the same way the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish do to the English.
In trading, the Kikuyu are competitors and partners of the Somali. The small scale Kikuyu trader will buy from the Somali wholesaler at Garissa Lodge for resale elsewhere. They may not always see eye to eye but are forced by circumstance to keep business open. At the Garissa town cattle market, truckloads head for Nairobi and the central Kenya market. It is Kikuyu produce that keeps the markets at the coast bustling. The Swahili woman frying viazi karai at Mlaleo in Mombasa may not have set eyes on a potato farm but it is the Kikuyu farmer and Kongowea market broker that keeps her supplied. The busloads zooming from Kisumu, Bungoma and Kakamega are pandering to Kikuyu interests in the City of Nairobi. In Lodwar, in the far reaches of the northern districts it is the Kikuyu trader and transporter that keep the markets supplied.
The examples are many and all these point to one fact- the Kikuyu are wired into the fabric of this country in many ways. If the Kikuyu flourish- as they have in the last ten years- the country flourishes and it has! If their fortunes dwindle- as they did during the ‘Nyayo Years’- the country suffers as well.
In politics, Kenya has had a love-hate relationship with the Kikuyu. Optimism was highest in 2002 when, like back in 1963, Kenya joined with the Kikuyu to oust oppression. In 2002, Kenya was rated the most optimistic country in the world. In 2007, optimism ebbed when Kenya ganged up against the Kikuyu. True to form, the Kikuyu held out for a piece of the pie- some would say the bigger piece. Perhaps the biggest mistake Kenya made back in 2007- or during the Nyayo Years- was in trying to wrestle the Kikuyu out of contention for power. It is only natural that those with the biggest stake in the country should have a say on how it is governed. This is true of the Kikuyu and even the ‘Indians’. The ‘Indians’ may not make it on the ballot but must have the ear of government at the highest level. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling on the petitions challenging Uhuru Kenyatta's election as President we had better get used to the fact Kenya is more of a Kikuyu country than any
other thing- Yes, Kenya is a Kikuyu Country.
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