African Womanhood in Colonial Kenya, 1900-50

284 Pages·2005·28.263 MB·English

by  Tabitha Kanogo

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African Womanhood
in Colonial Kenya
1900-30
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KEKE KKK
Afncan Womanhood
in Colonial Kenya
1900-50
TABITHA KANOGO
Associate Professor of History
University of California at Berkeley
James Currey
OXFORD
EAEP
NAIROBI
Ohio Uniwersity Press
ATHENS
James Currey Ltd
73 Botley Road
Oxford
OX2 OBS
East African Educational Publishers
Kiabe Street, PO Box 45314
Nairobi
Ohio University Press
Scott Quadrangle
Athens, Ohio 45701, USA
© Tabitha Kanogo 2005
First published 2005
1 2 3 4 5 09 08 07 06 05
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Kanogo, Tabitha
African womanhood in colonial Kenya, 1900-50 . - (Eastern
African studies)
1. Women - Kenya - Social conditions - 20th century 2. Women
- legal status, laws, etc. - Kenya - History - 20th century
3. Indigenous peoples - Great Britain - Colonies 4. Kenya -
Social conditions - 20th century
I. Title
305.4°2’096762’09041
ISBN 0-85255-446-X (James Currey Cloth)
0-85255-445-1 (James Currey Paper)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
available on request
ISBN 0-8214-1567-0 (Ohio University Press Cloth)
0-8214-1568-9 (Ohio University Press Paper)
Typeset in 10/11 pt Baskerville
by Longhouse Publishing Services, Cumbria, UK
Printed and bound in Malaysia
Contents
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Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Glossary
Map
Photographs
Introduction
‘Capax Dol’?
15
Debating the Legal Status of African Women
2 |
Sexuality in Culture & Law 42
3
Becoming Kavirondo
Clitoridectomy, Ethnicity & Womanhood 73
4
Debating Dowry
‘A Daughter is Like a Bank’ 104
6)
Legislating Marriage 129
6
The Medwalzation G Regulation of Maternity 164
7
Girls are Frogs
Girls, Missions & Education 197
Conclusion 239
Appendix: Dowries 247
Bibliography 252
Index 261
Acknowledgements
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I have incurred many debts in the process of writing this book. Its
preparation would have been impossible without the financial support
from different sources at the University of California, Berkeley. Seed
money from the Department of History and a grant from the Committee
on Research enabled me to carry out field and archival research in Kenya.
Funds from the Shepard Grant at the History Department paid for the
transcription of the Kikuyu oral interview tapes. I am grateful for this
support.
Eric Aseka, Nici Nelson, and Muigai wa Gachanja read various chapters
of earlier drafts and made many constructive suggestions. Nadine ‘Tanio
and Raj Arunachalam each read the entire manuscript and offered
invaluable comments. My students in the last four years have helped me
clarify my thoughts and ideas on various issues discussed in the book. I am
very grateful to each and every one of you.
_ [have benefited from the assistance of many more people. Durba Ghosh
and Sydney Johnson were ingenious research assistants in the summer of
1996. Julia O’Byrne helped with the index. Professor Eric Aseka, Duncan
Kang’ethe, Murunga, and Njeri Karuru helped to conduct field interviews
and transcribe some of the tapes at different points of this project. It 1s
intended to deposit copies of the tapes at the Department of History,
Kenyatta University. Peter Munano Kagucia doggedly but cheerfully tran-
scribed all the Kikuyu tapes. Gail Abbey and B. D. Howard helped with
the preparation of the bibliography.
Staff at the following libraries and archives were very courteous: the
Kenya National Archives, Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi,
Institute for Development Studies Library, Nairobi, the Rhodes House and
Queen Elizabeth House Libraries in Oxford. At QEH, Gill Short offered a
good balance of professional help and friendship. ,
I am most indebted to all those women and men who graciously gave
of their time and knowledge during long interview sessions. ‘They provided
V1
Acknowledgements
data without which this book would not have been written. I am humbled
by their generosity of spirit, hospitality, and commitment to the education
of inquisitive researchers and future generations. I hope this book has
captured some of their knowledge, insight and wisdom. I take full
responsibility for inadequacies of the text.
I wish to thank faculty at the Department of History, University of
California, Berkeley, for their continued support since I joined the
department. Working with and among them continues to be very inspiring.
They are wonderful colleagues. In particular I wish to thank the late
Robert Brentano for his warm encouragement throughout the preparation
of this work. Professor Paula Fass has been a great source of inspiration.
I would have been totally lost without patient and vital help from Gail
Phillips and Nadine Ghammache. Deciphering baffling computer glitches,
Gail and Nadine have rendered unfailing support. I am also grateful to.
Bud Bynnack.
Many friends in diverse corners of the globe have made the long
gestation of this book an enriching experience. In particular I wish to
thank Jan and Emma Kolaas, Celia Nyamweru, Ciarunji Chesaina,
Teresia Hinga, Valerie Kibera, Margaret Anaminyi, Njambi Kahahu,
Peter Kimball, Njeri Komo, Kwamboka Okare, and Inez Sutton for
unfailing support and good humour. Professor Dick Herr and his wife
Valerie have been very kind hosts on numerous occasions. To all of you,
asante sana, thank you very much.
Alone, in a category of his own, is James Currey who has waited
patiently as every deadline for the submission of this manuscript lapsed
and a new one was set. Thank you for your personal commitment to
African scholarship, especially Eastern African Studies. I hope this book
will in a small way add to our understanding of Kenya. Monica
McCormick of the University of California Press joined James Currey in
facilitating the completion of this work. I appreciate your support.
Last but not least, I wish to acknowledge the great support that my
family has continued to give me. I owe my mother Mary Wanjiku Kanogo
Gichomo, my sisters Njoki, Wanjiru, Wairimu, Wangare, Wangui, Njeri,
Phyllis, Wambui, and my brother Wanjohi more than words can express.
This book is written for them, and in memory of three wonderful people,
my father, James Kanogo Gichomo, Jane Awinja Anaminyi Nandwa and
Beth Wambui Nduati.
Berkeley, California
Last of Abbreviations
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Afr. Africa
AG Attorney General
AIM African Inland Mission
CMS Church Missionary Society
CENT Central Province
CNC Chief Native Commissioner
CP Central Province
CSM ~ Church of Scotland Mission
DC District Commissioner
DO District Officer
EAS East Afncan Standard (newspaper)
FH Fort Hall (Murang’a)
KBU Kiambu/Kyambu
KCA Kikuyu Central Association
KNA Kenya National Archives
KPP Kikuyu Progressive Party
Lab. Department of Labour
LNC Local Native Council
NKU Nakuru
NN North Nyanza
NZA Nyanza
NYI Nyeri
Mss Manuscript
PCEA Presbyterian Church of East Africa
PC Provincial Commissioner
RH Rhodes House Library, Oxford, England.
RVP Rift Valley Province
SDA Seventh Day Adventist Church
vill
Glossary
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baraza public meeting
boma homestead
bure useless, free
dukas shops
elmoran a circumcised unmarried man of the junior warrior grade
gakuo dress, in its diminutive form
wakamuyu divorcee among the Kikuyu
Tua circumcision ritual
kayama ya tembo a measure of traditional beer
kipkondit a Kipsigis man who inherits a widow
kirigu an uncircumcised Kikuyu girl
— hitin burial hut for an unmarried woman (spinster)
meko bride abduction among the Luo
mishent mission, mission adherents
motirt an initiate’s sponsor
mukene an unmarried but circumcised young woman among the
Meru
mukoma nda a loose, unmarried and pregnant woman
muruithia the circumcisor
omukoko divorcee among the Wanga
pai-ke free public or private sexual haisons established by
widowed Kipsigis women
pim elderly Luo woman entrusted with the rearing of children
and adolescents
shenza uncouth
shuka an unstitched piece of cloth
sufuria aluminium sauce pans
thaka an unmarried circumcised young man among the Meru
walt islamic leader
walu wa mungu literally people of God; religious sect
1X
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Kenya: Administrative regions
Based on a map from W. R. Ochieng’ & R.M. Maxon (eds) An Economic History of Kenya.
Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 1992, p. viii
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