Public memorials in Dagoretti : the impact of land tenure on social cohesion

Abstract

No land is bereft of art whether the latter is fashioned consciously or unconsciously. Dagoretti is no exception. This article picks out land markers, wrought by collective experience and therefore considered public artefacts. Furthermore, the artefacts indicate the impact of land tenure on social cohesion within the same district. 

Initially, Dagoretti was characterised by the mbari land tenure system with trustees (aramati) holding land for their families. Tenants (athami or ahoi) had limited cultivation and building rights. But colonial interventions and urbanisation disrupted this system, leading to tensions and struggles over land ownership. Road names, mausoleums, schools and satellite townships memorialise significant episodes, even as they indicate compact (or otherwise) social cohesion. 

Specific historical events, such as the exile of Waiyaki wa Hinga, followed by the rise of Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu, not only memorialise but also chronicle the navigation of both chiefs in the changing landscape. The discussion includes the subsequent racial segregation policies of the colonial era and their impact on Dagoretti’s socio-economic dynamics. It explores a singular effort to desegregate, by establishing a multi-racial school on the fringes of eastern Dagoretti, amidst officialized apartheid-like segregation.

The infamous 2017 battle for Kawangware, inscribed into the Mau Mau bridge, concludes the paper. Collective lived experience has fashioned land markers and imbued them with specific meaning and value –they await the keen appreciation of informed readers.