The changing roles of colonial chiefs among the Nandi of Kenya, 1906-1963

Abstract

The subject of colonial chiefs has received much scholarly attention over the years. Many of these studies have shown that these chiefs served dualistic and often diametrically opposed roles, striving to meet needs of the colonial administration and those of their communities. Not many studies have examined the Nandi colonial chiefs within this dualistic framework. The study critically examined the roles of colonial chiefs in the social, economic and political transformation of the Nandi during the colonial period. It was guided by five objectives: To analyse the nature of the pre- colonial Nandi society up to 1896; to evaluate the establishment of the colonial chiefs among the Nandi in the early years of colonialism, 1906-1918; to explore the changing roles of colonial chiefs during the inter-war period, 1919-1939, to critically evaluate the dual nature of Nandi colonial chiefs in the period 1939-1945 and to examine the changing roles of colonial chiefs in the post World War II period. The study was anchored on the principal-agent theory and the Elite theory, which explained the dual nature of the chiefs both as elites and principal agents in societal transformation. It was conducted in Nandi County and adopted the historical research design, which relied on oral interviews and analysis of documents from archival sources. Purposive sampling was used to identify those informants who met the inclusion criteria, and it was done using Snowball sampling. Data was obtained from oral interviews, which was corroborated with data from archival sources. Validity and reliability were ensured using expert review of the interview and document analysis guides. The collected data was then analysed thematically based on the objectives of the study, and then presented through narrative and direct quotations where necessary. The study revealed that pre- colonial Nandi (up to 1896) had an elaborate and centralised system of governance denoted by clans headed by council of elders and with the overall leader being the Orkoiyot. With the advent of colonialism in Kenya, the period between 1906 and 1918 was one in which the colonial government laid the foundation for their administration. At this time, chiefs were introduced to the Nandi, which was an alien form of leadership imposed on the community. Therefore, the Nandi largely rejected this type of leadership, making it difficult for the colonial chiefs to undertake their mandate at this time. Over time, with increased acceptance of colonial chiefs by the Nandi, the period 1919 to 1938 saw many transformations in the community, including establishment of schools, health centres and farming, all of which were influenced greatly by colonial chiefs. In the period 1939-1963, it was revealed that the chiefs were at the centre of supplying the British Army with able-bodied servicemen to fight in the war. In so doing, they played dualistic roles; on one hand, they anticipated social change at the same time accelerating underdevelopment, particularly in the view of the aftermath of the war and the negative effects it had on the demobilized soldiers and their families. At the same time, the Nandi chiefs also ensured that social, economic and political developments continued to take place during the period leading to independence. From the study findings, it was concluded that the dual roles of the Nandi chiefs manifested as principal-agent problem. The chiefs tried to serve the conflicting interests of both the Nandi people and the colonial administration. The study recommends that more studies be done to examine the changing role of chiefs, particularly in the post-independence period. It is expected that the study will benefit historians, administrators and government machinery, particularly in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to define various aspects of leadership needed to spearhead social, economic and political transformation in Kenya.