ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN TAITA DISTRICT, KENYA
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1954.tb00040.x |
| Published date | 01 January 1954 |
| Date | 01 January 1954 |
| Author | M. G. Power |
28 JOURNAL OF AFRICAN ADMINISTRATION
overt expression of the prestige and local importance which attaches to members
of the ruling classes, and to new recruits to this class, and it is, so far as I can
ascertain, the prestige which attaches to the proprietorship of large bibanja, and the
rather limited and sterile authority that their possession implies, that is the major
factor in their continued popularity, and their survival despite the Government's
attempt to eradicate them.
The
hope that at some later date full freehold rights
will be granted over bibanja now held on certificates of occupancy may still be a
significant factor in their popularity,
but
I do not think that very many people
are still really hopeful that full freehold tenure will ever be admitted on this basis.
I have tried to show this pervasive, deeply-rooted and enduring, if emasculated,
"
landlordism"
as a historical growth, the product of a complex of factors which
include the semi-feudal political structure of pre-European Bunyoro, the social
stratification typical of centralized social structures in general and of the inter-
lacustrine Bantu peoples in particular, and the 1900 land settlement in Buganda.
I have then tried to describe it, as far as the evidence so far available allows, in
its present-day form as a complex of rights and obligations relating to the use
and control of land. I have mentioned some ways in which the kibanja system
can be prejudicial to improved farming,
but
the consideration of the practical
means which should be taken to remedy the situation in so far as it is remediable,
important though the problem is, does not fall within the scope of this paper.
ENGLISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN
TAITA
DISTRICT,
KENYA
By M. G. Power, Administrative Officer.
IN
Kenya, as in other colonies, it has for some years been government policy
to establish local authorities in the rural areas with constitutions based on the
principles of English local government bodies.
Are we justified in thinking that our English institutions are likely to suit the
demands and requirements of tropical Africa?
In
this essay I wish to examine to what extent English systems of local govern-
ment
have been introduced to the
Taita
District of Kenya, and to what extent
their introduction has been successful.
I have deliberately narrowed my field of discussion, partly because the field of
my own experience is narrow, and partly because I believe it is impossible to
generalise about Africa, which is a continent containing many tribes of different
beliefs, customs and traditions.
The Taita District.
The
Wataita live in a group of mountains, about 500 square miles in area, which
lie some 100 miles from the coast of East Africa.
The
total population is a litt!e
over 50,000.
The
Taita
Hills are surrounded by an arid and unproductive plaIn
ridden with tsetse fly and wild game.
This
insularity has not yet been destroyed
by increases in communication with the outside world and is partly
respons~ble
for the highly developed sense of individuality which is a marked feature of the tribe.
The
Wataita are principally cultivators
but
few of them skilled ones. In the
main their agricultural practices arc primitive, wasteful and harmful to the land.
Shifting agriculture is still widely practised even in the hilly locations.
They
own many cattle. Most of their cattle are pastured in the plains b.
ut
many range the hills. Goats are numerous, and with the cattle form an essential
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting