This study is about a history on the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming in Abogeta Sub-County is in Meru County, Kenya from 1937-1980. Before 1937 farming practices were mainly for subsistence. Crops grown included millet, sorghum, peas, arrowroots, yams, beans and cowpeas. The purpose of this study was to examine the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming in Abogeta Sub County of Meru from 1937 to 1980. It was guided by Articulation of Modes of Production theory whose main precept is that penetration of capitalism in Africa affected modes of production. The study employed descriptive research design to describe the events as they occurred systematically. The instruments of data collection were interview schedules, focused group discussions and observation schedule. The sources of data included oral sources, archival sources and secondary sources which were corroborated to meet the reliability and objectivity of the research. The study was analyzed and presented through Qualitative Data Analysis. The study revealed that traditionally people from Abogeta Sub County engaged in subsistence farming. Farming shifted to cash crop farming from 1937 with introduction of cash crops like coffee and tea. This drift was fueled by search for money and industrialization. The study also noted that the transition had both positive and negative impacts on people of Abogeta. Food insecurity and migration were noted while on positive side it became the major economic activity and hence a source of livelihood to those that practiced. The study may be useful to future researchers in related area. Policy makers in the government may use the study to find solutions to food insecurity in Abogeta Sub County of Meru-County.
Family value system is the basic foundation on which stable societies are created. Sustaining the authentic traditional family value system in a wave of change as strong as western imperialism called for a society that was ready to struggle to retain their culture. This study is on colonialism and its’ implication on the African family stability in Embu North Sub-County of Kenya from 1895 to 1965. The study employed the descriptive research design. Data was obtained from oral, archival and secondary sources. The researcher interviewed a total of 50 respondents who were purposively sampled using snowballing technique. The study corroborated data from oral, archival and secondary sources to ensure the validity and reliability of the study. The discussion starts with aspects of the traditional values that existed among the Aembu by the time colonialism was imposed on Kenya in 1920, advances to how these aspects were executed in family and communal life among the Aembu and moves to how the Aembu were able to retain these family practices and values during the colonial period of 1920 to 1965. Cultural Evolution theory was used to examine colonialism and its implications on the African family stability in the area of study. The findings of the study were that there were family values that the Aembu people maintained before and during colonialism like circumcision (especially female circumcision), the culture of dowry payment, naming system, hospitality, and polygamy; that these family values were evident in their cultural traditions and practices and served to explain their unique African identity, were held in high regard, passed the test of time and were preserved from 1920 to 1965. This study has Contributed to the colonial historiography of the Aembu of Embu North Sub-County, Kenya.
Agricultural activities are very crucial part of a people’s economic engagements. This study is about a history on the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming in Abogeta Sub-County in Meru County, Kenya, from 1937-1980. The main economic activity of the people in Abogeta Sub County is farming and keeping livestock. Before 1937 farming practices were mainly for subsistence. Crops grown included millet, sorghum, peas, arrowroots, yams, beans and cowpeas. However many changes have occurred in the agricultural sector by 1937. The purpose of this study was to examine the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming and its effects on food production in Abogeta Sub County of Meru from 1937 to 1980. The study aimed at investigating the modes of agricultural practices embraced by the people of Abogeta Sub County from 19371980. The study employed descriptive research design to describe the events as they occurred systematically. The target population was 179608 as per 2019 census. A total of 30 respondents were randomly sampled and interviewed from Abogeta Sub County. The instruments of data collection were interview schedules, focused group discussions and observation schedule. The study revealed that traditionally people from Abogeta Sub County engaged in subsistence farming. The study also noted that the transition had both positive and negative impacts on people of Abogeta. Policy makers in the government may use the study to find solutions to food insecurity in Abogeta Sub County of Meru-County.
is a former colony of Britain. In 1895, Kenya was part of the British East Africa protectorate. In 1920, Kenya was declared a colony of Britain. From 1921, political associations were formed by Kenyans with the sole purpose of fighting for independence. These political associations later went underground and re-emerged after 1945. The climax of the political associations came in 1952 when armed resistance against British rule was launched by a group that was referred to as the MAU MAU Freedom Fighters Association that fought for Kenya's independence. 2. Meaning of the State of Emergency and the MAU MAU The oxford dictionary defines a state of emergency as a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order to regain control. A state of Emergency was declared in Kenya by the Colonial Legislative Council on October 20 th 1952. The prime object of the emergency was to protect human life and restore law and order but attempts were made by the British colonial office and the Colonial Legislative Council in Kenya from 1952 to 1958 to introduce changes and reforms that, it was hoped, would alleviate the grievances that had caused the Mau Mau rebellion and that would prevent the resurgence of terrorism. The state of emergency was declared following the activities of the Mau Mau. But what was the Mau Mau? The United Kingdom parliamentary delegation that visited Kenya in January 1954, described the Mau Mau as 'a conspiracy, designated to dominate first the Kikuyu 'tribe' and then all other Africans and finally to drive out all other races and seize power in Kenya. It was a political and social conspiracy, a secret society, which used terrorism to secure obedience where it could not command willing support or compliance. Mau Mau had progressed from the political oath with which it began through successive oaths each one more violent than its predecessor. The Mau Mau intentionally and deliberately sought to lead the Africans of Kenya back to the bush and savagery, not forward into progress' (British parliamentary delegation to Kenya, 1954). The important point to note from this definition is 'Mau Mau sought to lead Africans of Kenya back to the bush and savagery, not forward to progress'. This means that African ways had been condemned as savages. Kounasoff (1959) noted that most Africans in Kenya were illiterate and their old 'tribe' morality and taboos had been broken down by superficial contact with European civilization. They were in a state of transition. What caused the Mau Mau movement? Kounosoff (1959) noted that the underlying social cause of the Mau Mau rebellion leading to the state of emergency from 1952 was a clash of the old African way of life with the modern civilization leading to the breakdown of tribal traditions and the development of a 'new' African society. When the Legislative Council made the emergency legislation, it was meant to curb the activities of Mau Mau and its adherents. But as noted in the emergency regulations of 1953, it affec...
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