In January 1977 John Keen caused a row when he told the Maasai in Kajiado:
“Cover your bottoms within six months or i resign.”
Keen who was serving as the member of parliament for Kajiado North and one of the most controversial politicians in Kenya at the time, made the remarks while attending a fundraising in his consituency.
"The Maasai must stop walking around without trousers and stop washing their bodies with orchre.They must use soap like other tribes and send their children to school
"They must be prepared to sell their cows to KMC and not keeping cattle as a symbol of prestige ",he declared.
Keen’s statement drew a sharp rejoinder from the minister of Natural Resources Stanley Oloitiptip who told him:
“Maasai are proud to walk around without trousers and they don’t smell like other people who use soap nor do they suffer from cholera like other tribes.”
He also warned Keen to stop abusing the same people who had voted him ,pointing out that even Mahatma Gandhi never wore trousers but still led his people to independence.
Mr keen responded by saying that his intention was not to abuse or ridicule the Maasai but simply to urge them to catch up with other Kenyans.
" I am not going to stand anybody who wants to retain the Maasai people as a museum and that’s why i have given up my 200 acre farm at Nkoroi as a model to teach them better animal husbandry", he added.
He further challenged Oloitiptip to drop his suit for a shuka exposing his bottom if indeed he was speaking for the Maasai.
The bitter exchange between Keen who was half Maasai and Oloitiptip might have stemmed partly from their rivalry on who was the real Maasai spokesman .
Similar attempts by Mwalimu Nyerere to force Tanzania Maasai to wear trousers had failed .
As Argwings Kodhek used to say “Maasai will be forced to change”,the Maasai have been forced to change with time and are now in parity with all Kenyan tribes in embracing modernity.
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courtesy of Odhiambo Levin Opiyo.
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