Squatters and the Roots of Mau Mau, 1905–1963

Tabitha Kanogo

• Publisher: Ohio University Press
• Year: 1987
• eBook ISBN: 9780821444467
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

This is a study of the genesis, evolution, adaptation and subordination of the Kikuyu squatter labourers, who comprised the majority of resident labourers on settler plantations and estates in the Rift Valley Province of the White Highlands. The story of the squatter presence in the White Highlands is essentially the story of the conflicts and contradictions that existed between two agrarian systems, the settler plantation economy and the squatter peasant option. Initially, the latter developed into a viable but much resented sub-system which operated within and, to some extent, in competition with settler agriculture. This study is largely concerned with the dynamics of the squatter presence in the White Highlands and with the initiative, self-assertion and resilience with which they faced their subordinate position as labourers. In their response to the machinations of the colonial system, the squatters were neither passive nor malleable but, on the contrary, actively resisted coercion and subordination as they struggled to carve out a living for themselves and their families….

It is a firm conviction of this study that Kikuyu squatters played a crucial role in the initial build-up of the events that led to the outbreak of the Mau Mau war.

—from the introduction

Index

Abagusii, 14, 28, 29

Abaluyia, 166

Abaluyia Union, 173

Aberdare District, 102, 103, 104, 139, 140

absentee landlords, 16

African Inland Mission (AIM), 89

African Orthodox Church, 80

African Orthodox Independent Church, 89–90

ahoi (landless Kikuyu), 2, 10, 12, 26, 107, 117

Akamba, 27, 173

Akamba People’s Party, 173

animal diseases, 3, 27, 40–1

arson, 50, 103, 105

aruithia (circumcision surgeons), 77, 78

Asians, 21, 79, 86

Baganda, 17

Banyore, 29

Barnett, D.C., 150, 151

Batuni oath, 130, 137, 139, 140

Beauttah, James, 127

Bethuel Kamau, 16, 185

blackwater fever, 40

Blundell, Sir Michael, 91–2

bride-wealth, 21, 22, 23, 24, 50, 77

Burns, Archdeacon, 54

Bwana Kamundu, 42

Calderwood, Rev. R.G.M., 86, 88, 89, 90–1

Carpenter, Major, F.W., 117

Carrier Corps, 13

cash crops, 1, 9, 19

Cavendish-Bentinck, 103

Central Province, 11, 22, 23, 24, 41, 54, 98, 103, 106, 120, 127, 164; education, 78, 79, 80, 84, 85, 87, 88, 90; KCA, 106, 128, 144; KLFA, 165–6, 171; Mau Mau, 138–9, 164; migration from, 2, 3, 11–12, 14–15, 21, 26; oath-taking, 106, 116, 128, 138; and Olenguruone settlement, 106–7, 114, 116; repatriation of squatters to, 4, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54–5, 138–9, 142–3, 148; Swynnerton Plan, 164–5

chiefs, oppression of, 13

child labour, 4, 48–9, 81, 153; and ed...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Glossary of Kikuyu and Swahili Terms used in Text
• Maps
• Introduction
• One: The Genesis of the Squatter Community, 1905–18
• Two: Settlers and Squatters: Conflict of Interests 1918–37
• Three: Social Organisation among Squatters
• Four: The Crisis: Decline in Squatter Welfare 1938–48
• Five: Politics of Protest: Mau Mau
• Six: The Post Mau Mau Period: The Independence Bargain and the Plight of the Squatters, 1955–63
• Conclusion
• List of Informants
• Biographical Notes on Key Informants
• Select Bibliography
• Index