EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL ORDER AMONG THE TIGANIA OF MERU, KENYA 1910-1957

Abstract

This study examined the indigenous pre-colonial Tigania political order upto 1910, traced the imposition and consolidation of colonial order among the Tigania and last examined how the interaction of the pre-colonial Tigania political order and British colonial order resulted in the emergence of a unique political order among the Tigania by 1957. Through this study, the evolution of political order up to the late colonial period among the Tigania was analyzed. More specifically, the study contributes to the literature on the mechanisms by which colonialism affected African communities with reference to political order. The assumptions guiding this study were that; the pre-colonial Tigania had a political order based on Tigania cultural values. The imposition of colonialism among the Tigania affected their political order, and, as a result of colonization there emerged a unique political order among the Tigania by 1957. The study utilized tenents from four theories to explain the evolution of political order in Tigania society. They included, social systems theory by Francis Abraham, instrumentalist paradigm by Thomas Spear, masculinity theorization as understood by Paul Ocobock and Peter Eke theory of Colonialism and the two publics in Africa. The study utilized descriptive research design. Data was collected from oral, archival and secondary sources. A total of 80 interviews were done. The instruments for data collection were mainly open-ended interviews. Primary data from oral sources was triangulated with data from archival and secondary sources. The archival sources that were consulted included; Kenya National Archives (KNA) in Nairobi, National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi and Meru, and, finally, Personal Collections from individuals. Through descriptive design, data was analyzed qualitatively. Guided by the objectives of the research, data was presented through thematic description. The study found out that, the process of in-scribing pre-colonial Tigania people into communal social and economic system began at age seven. This system produced a highly inclusive political order. Established cultural standards were key in producing the desired communal order. Change in the political order of the Tigania people occurred between 1910 and 1957. This was as a result of conquest and interaction between Tigania political order and British colonial administrative structures. The study noted that, as colonialism wore on, lack of certainty due to change and culture clash resulted into hybridity among the Tigania in the sunset days of the British Empire in Kenya. Hybridity represents on one hand the impossibility of a complete break with the past and on the other achieving full identification with the western form of governance in the state. Separation from culture and essences represents a chronic subjectivity that constantly and ambivalently negotiates between cultural imperatives.