I have always been fascinated by the colonial history of African nations. When I would try to milk some info from now departed grandparents they formed a conspiracy of silence. So I started to research West African history, of course I knew about apartheid but the history of Zaire was really out of this world. I bought a book called the poison Wood Bible at a thrift shop. I still have it to date. It was amazing. Don’t seem to have many books on Kenya during colonial era except the Karen Blixen one. Nyway here’s something on Mobutu.
As long as your grandparents didn’t live anywhere close to Nbi, everything was shielded from them. There were a few colonial farmers and it’s whom they interacted. Mobutu came into power through US help. And they watched him commit atrocities, the main reason being they were trying to fend off communism from Russia. Lumumba was tilting that way and so had to go.
They lost their farms, lived in concentration camps and worked for a pittance. What do you mean shielded?
Looks like the more things change the more they stay the same. Exactly what is happening to Kenya right now. The black man is on a hamster wheel.
I didnt know Meru lived in concentration camps.
Learn something new every day. I know in the Western mzungu had huge farms. I’ve never known where they got them. But then again, land wasn’t an issue until the 1970s. My grandparents’parents moved severally pretty much taking what they wanted along the way.
All GEMA lived in concentration camps. This is bcz they were displaced from their farms and they also worked in the same farms for the mzungu . Kwani you didn’t do history ama? It’s important to know your history so that you can pass it down to your kids. I have collected every book I can on colonial period especially in Kenya though the West African one is more interesting.
No I didn’t know. The GHC books we used were written by Patel. So you can imagine the info.
Malkiat Singh LOL. How was it in Luhya land? Did your grandparents tell you?
No they didn’t say much. There were a few colonials in the main towns though, working for government.
How about slave trade I hear that people from Mumias were sold to Arab slave traders and ended up in Zanzibar, Pemba and such islands. Is why there’s so many moslems there.
In GEMA areas, the farms were all taken for farming so the people had to be moved into work camps. They had passbooks and were paid few coins for their labor. Kids went to missionary schools and there were hospitals. My maternal grandpa worked at a hospital. Usually they were controlled by local chiefs. My maternal grandmother’s dad was a senior chief, he had 16 wives.
I don’t know why this our grandparents were very limited in giving information about those times maybe they were traumatized. It’s only when nearing death that they divulge this info. I only found out that my great grandpa had 16 wives at my maternal grandmother’s funeral when tons of people came saying they were step brothers and sisters of hers. Her mum only had 4 kids. One died early and left my grandmother, her sister and their baby brother M’mbijjiwe. It’s a rich history if they were willing to tell it but they seemed to avoid talking about it as much as possible.
Kuku Mgbendu wa Zabanga,
What a name
What pride of life.
What a golden time to live.
What a wasted life…
What an end!
What a screaming shame.
Are you talking about John Okello in Zanzibar? Problem in that Island is the way British left. They threw democracy inside a monarch.
No I mean during or precolonial Arab slave traders were in Mumias to buy slaves to take to Zanzibar, Unguja and Pemba Islands. You have never heard of it?
Yeah I heard of it. It’s the reason why Luhyas speak really good swa, Arabs infiltrated their region. They hunted people outside Nabongo Mumias subtribe, Luos and Bukusu.
If true history is written, it would lead to chaos… Because the lands taken by the colonolialists is what kina Kenyatta, Moi, Kibaki and the elite at independence “bought” and therefore never reverted back to the original owners…