Nairobi's little tribal villages
When Jackson Anyore’s uncle invited him to Nairobi in 1995 to come and look for a job, the young man, who had just completed primary school, was apprehensive.
However, on arrival in Kawangware from Vihiga, his fears quickly melted away, as life in the shanty-town was like an extension of the village.
Apart from his relatives, the place was mostly populated by fellow Luhyas, so he mostly communicated in Luhya, ate traditional Luhya foods and attended Sunday services at the nearby Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church.
Anyore is among the millions of Kenyans living in low-income areas, whose lives in the cosmopolitan capital city closely resemble that in their villages. Indeed, many low-income areas in Nairobi are carved out into tribal villages.
In Kenya, specific tribes occupy particular geographical areas, where they speak their language and follow their culture, but it is not until they move from their rural homes that ethnicity becomes more significant.
Most urban settlement patterns in Kenya, and particularly among the poor, respond to tribal identity. Anthropologists say the practice is grounded on certain concepts.
For Paulina, Makongeni in Nairobi, with its predominantly Luo residents , must have been safe haven. Here, she could feel safe and thus easily integrate.
In other words, Paulina was going to “communicate with other individuals effectively”, says Mr Shilabukha Khamati, a research fellow at the Institute of Anthropology and Gender Studies, at the University of Nairobi.
Meanwhile, Bahati Estate in Nairobi is predominantly Kikuyu. Its residents, besides speaking their mother tongue, also speak a version of sheng that borrows from the language. Some of the pubs bear Kikuyu names, and a tour of the estate reveals that some of the older folk farm just the way they would in their rural homes.
In Kawangware, the constellation of Luhya sub-tribes predominate, so it is not unusual to hear stereotypes of how the Abasamia are proud, or the Maragoli are self-centred.
A more interesting situation exists in Korogocho, which is sub-divided into nine zones, each dominated by a different community. Nyayo, Ngomongo and Kisumu Ndogo are predominantly Luo and Luhya areas; Grogon A, Grogon B, Korogocho A and B are predominantly Kikuyu; Highridge A and Highridge B are for Cushitic communities and the Luhya respectively.
Mary Wambui, 77, says she was among the first people to arrive in Korogocho in 1978. She invited her kin and friends, who gradually joined her there.
Soon, some of the Kikuyus began renting houses to Luos living in Ngomongo. Luos occupied a section of Korogocho in such large numbers that they nicknamed it Kisumu Ndogo.
The Luhya, probably due to their proximity to the Luo, both geographically and culturally, followed. Today, Kisumu Ndogo is predominantly a Luo and Luhya zone.
The second factor that determines where a person settles in an urban area is opportunity, according to Dr Olungah. A combination of solidarity and opportunity explains why these tribal grouping exist mainly among the poor.
“The nature of the jobs they do in urban centres means they have to live close to their workplaces, preferably within walking distance,” says Dr Olungah.
'BECOME PARANOID'
Unfortunately, politicians have misused these tribal groupings for selfish ends by, first, dehumanising members of other communities. “The purpose is to play on the mental fears of the group and instil fear into their identity,” says Khamati.
“It is at that point that ethnicity, which is not in itself a bad thing, degenerates into tribalism, nepotism, favouritism, and the many other isms,” says Dr Olungah.
“If there is no process, particularly a political process, to make me feel a Luo, I will feel excluded from the apparatus of governance,” he adds.
“And once you feel excluded from the apparatus of governance, you become paranoid, so you create a “them-versus-us” mentality, in which you feel safe only among your own,” he explains.
And this paranoia can have far-reaching effects, as evidenced during the 2007/2008 post-election violence, when ethnic chauvinists attacked those they viewed as enemies.
Source:
Nairobi’s little tribal villages
C.C Edward Wanjala