Kenya is quite a divided country. The fact of the matter is that these divisions are not just the main tribes stereotypes and inborn hatred that we are all too familiar with. The kind that dictates how we vote in general elections and employ staff in our learning institutions and business premises. No! There are other greater and more impactful divisions. For example, take a region where the tribal units may be closely related. For instance the Mt Kenya region. Here you have the Kikuyu, Meru and Embu. The culture and dialects of these groups is almost similar and historical records prove that they were one tribe at some point in history. But there is no way you would expect a Kikuyu to get a county job in Meru county, or in Embu county. You would also not expect a Meru to land a prime job in Muranga or Nyeri or Embu county. But when they are voting nationally, they are brothers and sisters.
Let’s take another region far off. Consider the Kisii and the Abakuria. These are closely related. But don’t expect a Kuria from Migori to acquire a job in Kisii or Nyamira. And the converse is true.
The same case would occur between the Boran and the Somali. Or between the Taita and the Pokomo. Or between the Maasai and Samburu.
Another kind of division, even worse, is the sub- tribe phenomenon. Take the Abaluhya for instance. A Maragoli will face open hostility in Bukusu territory and vice versa. He will be reminded he is not in his home turf. A Kikuyu from Nyeri will not be given an easy time if he tries to prosper in Kirinyaga or Kiambu. A Luo from Migori will have to scratch a few backs for him to be a CEC in Kisumu. A Samburu will always appoint only members of his clan if elevated to a certain high position. A Kitui Cambodian will not find it easy trying to be an MP in Masaku. Etc etc.
And divisions do not stop there. They go down even to the level below the county, even to the village level! In other words, we have a long road to travel before we can truly call each other brothers and sisters.
Kisiis are luhyas.
Aiiiiiiii! I thought they were closer to Merus!
Kisiis came from misri like luhyas. Both call god nyasaye. Both are bantus.
Kisiis are not close to the meru. forget the heavy accent in english and swahili. those kisiis are more of luhyas and other nilotic tribes. just look at how some of them have smooth blue black skins. some kisiis also seem cushitic, spotting curly jet black hair and very light skin(they look almost indian/goan).
merus are more closely related to the kamba, kikuyu, and maasai. even though language isnt an accurate pointer, some meru subtribes by default can hear and talk kikamba and kikuyu. When it comes to culture, merus are closer to the kamba. they mesh with the kambas flawlesly. kikuyu culture and mannerisms are far different from the meru culture. finally meru are very conservative. hail KOOME NJUE!
At times, i have a very difficult time differentiating a kisii from the Meru. I once asked, why the ameru people never brought the wheel with them , from where they came from ?
They had to wait for Jungu’s to introduce it.
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Nothing to write home about. Give big thanks to the jungus.
When KOOME NJUE took the meru people across the sea under water, time was limited for his magic wand to work so hefty gear like chariots made for compacted roads were dumped. so all chariots were left on the opposite shore. forget mzungu stupid stories. the meru had a wheel made out of a tree trunk. what they did not have is a spoked wheel because they couldnt make a good reliable spoke and hub bearing.
Warembo kama hao uliona wapi kwingine hii kenya?
It was a matter of reinventing the while again.
This phenomena is actually known as the narcissism of small differences.
“In some of his writings, Sigmund Freud (for example, 2004) argued that the smaller the real differences between two peoples, the larger it is bound to loom in their imagination, a phenomenon he called the ‘narcissism of minor differences’. In fact, Freud noted, conflict often occurred between individuals and groups who appeared highly similar even to the point of being doppelgangers or identical twins.”
In recent past Africa has been the greatest victim of narcissism of small differences.
unfortunately, while iron working was present, the proper metal such as copper needed to make good alloys such as bronze for chariots were not present in the new land. horses couldnt survive in the climate too. the meru began breeding oxen for pulling carts, which needed the wooden wheel only for heavy goods. so yes the meru had the wheel.
so you people are saying Merus invented the wheel …someone point me to an article or paper or anthropologist to verify this !
Kisiis with light skin and curly hair? That’s new
The Kikuyu, Meru and Kisii are Abantu. But what I know is that these tribes have had in the past intermarried with the Maasai and other nilotes/Cushites and thus the present Mûgîkûyû or Omogusii has Maasai blood in his DNA
Kikuyus of Nyeri and Kiambu DO have some Maasai ancestry.I have never heard of Kisiis having the same.Generally speaking Kisiis did not share a real border with Maasais.The current Narok -Gucha border was all forest and thicket.Unlike the border between Kikuyus and Maasais which spanned hundreds of kilometers both North and South.
Nah ! ! ! There are some people, who claim that their tribes men, came from North, the civilized world of that time.
But when you ask, why their tribes men, never brought the wheel with them , story inakuwa mrefu.
@ChifuMbitika the problem with our country we are lacking nationalists. What we are are tribal bigots who are selfish. What we need is patriotic Kenyans who put our country first.
Exactly. The greatest problem is even that those of us who have the nation at heart will not be allowed to lead anywhere simply because we have not plundered enough to get enough to bribe the ignorant masses to vote for us.
Saa hii we are more vulnerable if we were attacked externally tunaweza kanyagwa mbaya. All tribe view the other tribe as their enemies.