GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

  communities that belong to the Plain Nilotes. The Maasai, Samburu, Iteso, Turkana, Njemps. While some historical accounts categorize the Teso and the Turkana with the Plain Nilotes, others include them among the Highland Nilotes. factors that led to migration and settlement of the plain Nilotes into Kenya. Diseases and epidemics, which afflicted both people and livestock. Internal feuds i.e. raids and counter raids against each other. Pressure or hostility from neighboring and other communities. The spirit of adventure i.e. desire to experience life in a new land. population pressure. natural calamities such as drought, famine, etc. Search for cultivable land (particularly the Kwavi Maasai). Their nomadic lifestyle, due to which they kept moving from place to place (in search of pasture and water) without a definite settlement or home RELATED POSTS COMPARISON BETWEEN FISHING IN KENYA AND JAPAN THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND THE PROBLEM FACING ENVIRONMEN...

  The Ameru claim a place called Mbwa, which is somewhere at the coast (probably Manda island) as their area of origin. However, historians believe that this tradition of Mbwa fits very well with Bantu dispersal from Shungwaya. By late 15th century, ancestors of the Ameru had begun arriving in Meru. Ameru migration from the coast was mainly due to Oromo pressure. From Shungwaya, the Ameru moved westwards along the river Tana and pushed into Igembe and Tigania regions. Around 1400AD, the Ameru and other Mount Kenya groups were living as hunters and pastoralists. They moved farther into the interior, crossing river Tana. Some, especially the Tharaka, finally settled to the east of River Tana as others such as the Chuka, Muimbi, Imenti, Tigania and Igembe settled in the area west of the River Tana. The Ameru and Agikuyu are believed to have initially migrated as one group until the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Agikuyu took their separate direction. The traditions of the two group...

  The Agikuyu are the largest population of all the Eastern Bantu. They inhabit the Central province of Kenya. two legends or myths that refer to Gikuyu origin. That which presents the Agikuyu as having originated from Mukurwe Wa Gathanga, where their ancestors (Gikuyu and his wife mumbi) were settled after God created them. According to this legend, Gikuyu and mumbi begat nine daughters, who married and mothered the nine clans of the present Agikuyu. That which states that the Agikuyu may have descended from one of the four sons of a Mbeere man, the other three of which may have mothered the Akamba, Athi and Maasai. migration and settlement of the Agikuyu into Kenya. By 1200AD, The Bantu had already settled in the Central province of Kenya. However, the original inhabitants of the area were hunter-gatherers, such as the Athi (Dorobo) and the Gumba. These may have been the remnants of the original inhabitants. The Athi and the Gumba interacted with the Agikuyu, who later assimilate...

  The following are effects of Bantu migration and settlement into Kenya . Increased population in the regions where they settled. spread of ironworking to other parts of Kenya. The skill reached other communities, such as the Luo. Increased intercommunal conflicts. For instance, they fought with the Oromo at the coast, the Maasai in the Rift Valley and the Luo near Lake Victoria. More trading activities as the Bantu exchanged iron products with other communities. For example, Abagusi gave iron products to the Luo in return for baskets. Increased cultural interaction and exchange. For instance, many Bantu groups assimilated the Southern Cushites as some Bantu were assimilated by Nilotes. spread of agricultural practices in Kenya . For example, the Kwavi Maasai of Kenya adopted cultivation. Population redistribution. E.g. the Dorobo moved to forested areas. Displacement of some communities. For instance, Abagusi were displaced by the Luo in the Kano plains. Some Eastern Cushites...

  .The Akamba trace their origin to the area around Mount Kilimanjaro, from where their ancestors migrated to the great bend of the river Tana. They then moved to Taita hills and finally reached Tsavo west. Around mid 15th century AD, the Akamba followed the eastern banks of river Athi, from where one group moved across the Athi to Ulu. Due to Oromo attacks, another group of the Akamba moved south to the Galana river and settled in the region around Chyulu hills north of Mount Kilimanjaro. Due to drought in the Chyulu area, some Akamba migrated and settled in the Mbooni hills near Machakos around mid 16th century. Soon, due to population increase, some Akamba migrated farther to Iveti, Kilungu, Masaku and Makueni. In the course of their migration and settlement, the Akamba met and interacted with the Agikuyu. environmental factors that influenced Akamba migration and settlement into Kenya Those in Mbooni region took up agriculture due to soil fertility and ample rainfall in the are...