A Chronology of Land Use Accretion And Housing Policy In Nairobi
Year: 1987
Type: other
Abstract: In the early days of commercial penetration of East \nAfrica by the Europeans the present route to Uganda originating \nfrom the Kenyan Coast town of Mombasa was rarely used \nbecause of the difficulties experienced in sustaining long \ncaravans over the arid Nyika Region between the Coast and \nthe Kenya Highlands, and the hostility of tribes inhabiting \nthis area - especially the Masai. Colonial penetration of \nthe present area known as Kenya began about 1850 and intensified \nafter 1883 when Joseph Thomson managed to cross Masai Land; \nand after the 1885 Berlin Conference that designated Kenya \nas a British Sphere of Influence. \nColonial penetration from 1885 to 1894 was done by \nSir William Mackinon's Imperial British East African Company - \nwhich was chartered by the British Government to manage their \nnewly acquired sphere of influence. Hostile tribes were \neasily subdued by use of advanced gun technology - the \ninvention of a Maxim machine gun - and astute diplomacy of \ndevide and rule as practiced by colocial administrators of \nthis time. With one menace eliminated it was possible to \nmanage caravans bearing water and other supplies to cross \nthe Nyika. Once Nyika was crossed, food and water were \navailable in great abundance at Ngongo Mbagas (present day \nNgong) and the Kikuyu escarpment in the neighbourhood of \nthe day city of Nairobi. (See Map No.1)
Author: George King’oriah
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2674538121