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100-475: The Kenyan presidential election of 2007 was held in December 2007. The main contenders were incumbent President of Kenya , Mwai Kibaki and his former ally Raila Odinga . The election was strongly marked by tribalism , with Kibaki coming from the most numerous Kikuyu ethnic group which has dominated Kenyan politics since independence and Odinga an ethnic Luo allied with other smaller ethnic groups. Kibaki

200-527: A Bantu ethnic group native to East Africa Central Kenya . At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya , making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. Modern ethnicities Diaspora Performing arts Government agencies Television Radio Newspapers The term Kikuyu is the Swahili borrowing of the autonym Gĩkũyũ ( Gikuyu pronunciation: [ɣèkòjóꜜ] ) The Kikuyu belong to

300-498: A fig tree (Mũgumo) would be used. The olive tree (Mũtamaiyũ) was a sacred tree for women. Ngai or Mwene-Nyaga is the Supreme Creator and giver of all things. He created the first Gĩkũyũ communities, and provided them with all the resources necessary for life: land, rain, plants, and animals. Ngai cannot be seen but is manifested in the sun, moon, stars, comets and meteors, thunder and lightning, rain, rainbows, and in

400-519: A PNU nomination, and former Interior Minister Chris Murungaru , who lost out to a little-known trader. There were 14,296,180 registered voters; 68.8% of the electorate were aged between 18 and 40, with the remaining 31.2% being those over 40. Kibaki began his presidential campaign on 30 September at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. Odinga launched his campaign in Uhuru Park on 6 October 2007. On

500-484: A bit offset. Ndia and Gachũgũ are extremely far from Metumi. Gaki on the other hand, as far as my geographical understanding of Gĩkũyũ land is concerned should be much closer to Metumi, yet virtually no names of regiment sets are shared. It should however be noted that Gaki had a strong connection to the Maasai living nearby. The ruling generation names of Maina and Mwangi are also very popular male Gĩkũyũ names. The theory

600-607: A colony in the region, noting the abundant and fertile farmland. Although initially non-hostile, relationships between the Agikuyu and the Europeans soon turned violent: Waiyaki Wa Hinga , a leader of the southern Agikuyu, who ruled Dagoretti who had signed a treaty with Frederick Lugard of the British East Africa Company (BEAC) burned down Lugard's fort in 1890. Waiyaki was captured two years later by

700-543: A consequence, there are notable Kikuyu literature icons such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Meja Mwangi . Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's literary works include Caitani Mutharabaini (1981), Matigari (1986) and Murogi wa Kagogo ( Wizard of the Crow (2006)) which is the largest known Kikuyu language novel having been translated into more than thirty languages. Traditional Kikuyu music has existed for generations up to 1888, when colonialism disrupted their life. Before 1888 and well into

800-819: A former police assistant commissioner in New Zealand and Pascal K. Kambale, a lawyer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was working on the Open Society Institute 's Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project. The secretary to the commission was George Mong’are Kegoro, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Kenyan section director of the International Commission of Jurists . The assisting counsel

900-518: A matter for the courts, not the Electoral Commission. Following the commission's declaration of his victory, Kibaki was sworn in for his second term later on the same day, saying that he had been told by his people that he had won, calling for the "verdict of the people" to be respected and for "healing and reconciliation" to begin. Kivuitu said that there were some problems with the count, noting that in one constituency voter turnout

1000-495: A much smaller scale. In 1991, when multi-party politics was introduced, violence became known as an election-time tradition. However, the fighting and aggression demonstrated in December 2007 and January and February 2008 was and has been unmatched by any election-related uprising. In August 2012, the Nakuru County Peace Accord was signed, a treaty designed to address sources of ethnic conflict and violence in

1100-460: A mwanake na a muirĩĩtu. Freely translated it means "In those days the male children were given the names of the riika (initiation set) like Watene, Cuma, Iregi, or Ciira. Girls were on the other hand named after the clans that were named earlier until such a time as it was decided to name the children after the parents of the man and the woman." From this statement it is not clear whether the girls were named ad hoc after any clan, no matter what clan

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1200-515: A poll placed Odinga and Kibaki at about the same level, with 43.6% and 43.3% respectively. Early results published by the Kenyan media gave Raila Odinga a narrow lead of 1,691,679 votes against Kibaki's 1,222,725 in 69 of the country's 210 constituencies . Odinga held a strong lead in vote counting on 28 December, and the ODM declared victory on 29 December; however, as more results were announced on

1300-482: A recognised leader, others did not. However, in either case, real political power was exercised by the ruling council of elders for each clan. Each clan then forwarded the leader of its council to the apex council of elders for the whole community. The overall council of elders representing all the clans was then led by a headman or the nation's spokesman. The Gĩkũyũ were – and still are – monotheists believing in an omnipotent Creator whom they refer to as Ngai . All of

1400-486: A show of mourning. Odinga said that the ODM would not negotiate with Kibaki unless he resigned, because to do so would mean acknowledging Kibaki's legitimacy; he also said that, unless stopped, the "ruling clique" could rig the next elections in five years as well, and that he was not afraid of being arrested, having been jailed many times in the past. For his part, Kibaki emphasised the importance of peace, stability, and tolerance in his 2008 New Year's message, speaking of

1500-680: A telex from then US Embassy in Nairobi to the State Department in Washington DC [released in July 2012], US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger set out five scenarios as to who really won the election. He wrote, ‘In all cases the margin of victory for either side is slim and ultimately unknowable’. The telex also noted that there was ‘evidence of rigging on both sides’. Kivuitu said on 2 January that he had been pressured by PNU and ODM–K (Kibaki's and Kalonzo Musyoka's parties) into announcing

1600-530: Is agreement in the international community that the presidential elections were at least partially manipulated. In July 2008, an exit poll commissioned by the US was released, suggested that Odinga was predicted to have won the presidency by a comfortable margin of 6%, 46% to 40%, well outside the exit poll's 1.3% margin of error. Incumbent president Mwai Kibaki declared his intention to run for re-election on 26 January 2007, although he had previously declared prior to

1700-456: Is also that Waciira is also derived from ciira (case), which is also a very popular masculine name among the Agĩkũyũ. This would call into question, when it was exactly that children started being named after the parents of one's parents. Had that system, of naming one's children after one's parents been there from the beginning, there would be very few male names in circulation. This is however not

1800-726: Is also the most systematically defined list so far. Most of the most popular male names in Gĩkũyũ land were names of riikas (initiation sets). Here is Mũriũki's list of the names of regiment sets in Metumi (Mũrang'a): Kiariĩ (1665–1673), Cege (1678–1678), Kamau (1704–1712), Kĩmani (1717–1725), Karanja (1730–1738), Kĩnũthia (1743–1751), Njũgũna (1756–1764), Kĩnyanjui (1769–1777), Ng'ang'a (1781–1789), Njoroge (1794–1802), Wainaina (1807–1815), Kang'ethe (1820–1828), Mbũgua (1859–1867), Njenga or Mbĩra Itimũ (1872–1880), Mũtũng'ũ or Mbũrũ (1885–1893). H.E. Lambert, who dealt with

1900-646: Is considered by some the gravest crisis of Britain's African colonies The capture of rebel leader Dedan Kimathi on 21 October 1956 signalled the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau Uprising , and essentially ended the military campaign although the state of emergency would last until 1959. The conflict arguably set the stage for Kenyan independence in December 1963. Since the proclamation of the Republic of Kenya , after colonial rule in Kenya came to an end in 1963,

2000-496: Is interpreted to be the movement of Ngai and lightning is the weapon used by Ngai to clear the way when moving from one sacred place to another. Some people believe that Ngai's abode is on Mount Kenya. In one legend Ngai made the mountain his resting place while on an inspection tour of earth . Ngai then took the first man, Gikuyu, to the top to point out the beauty of the land he was giving him. The cardinal points in this Traditional Gĩkũyũ Religion Philosophy were squarely based on

2100-505: The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) and nine candidates were cleared to be on the ballot in December. All nine presidential candidates also ran for a parliamentary seat as required by Kenyan law; the presidential election winner needed to also win a parliamentary seat to be named president. The ninth parliament was dissolved on Monday 22 October 2007, with the election date of 27 December announced on 26 October 2007 by

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2200-664: The Northeastern Bantu branch. Their language is most closely related to that of the Embu and Mbeere . Geographically, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya . The exact place that the Northeast Bantu speakers migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. Some authorities suggest that the Kikuyu arrived in their present Mount Kenya area of habitation from earlier settlements further to

2300-606: The President , and members of the National Assembly . They coincided with the 2007 Kenyan local elections. Incumbent Mwai Kibaki , running on a Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket, defeated Raila Odinga , leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Kalonzo Musyoka of Orange Democratic Movement–Kenya . The elections were strongly marked by ethnic hostility, with Kibaki a member of

2400-640: The Rift Valley Province . Luos and Kalenjin were also targeted in the areas surrounding Nakuru and Naivasha . Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan brokered a power-sharing agreement which included the appointment of the Waki Commission to investigate the violence. The chairman of the commission was Justice Philip Waki , a Judge of Kenya's Court of Appeal. The other two commission members were Gavin Alistair McFadyen,

2500-413: The riikas extensively, has the following list of regiment sets from Gichũgũ and Ndia. (It should be remembered that this names were unlike ruling generations not uniform in Gĩkũyũ land. It should also be noted that Ndia and Gachũgũ followed a system where initiation took place every annually for four years and then a period of nine calendar years followed where no initiation of boys took place. This period

2600-470: The 13th century. Before the establishment of East Africa Protectorate in 1895, the Agĩkũyũ preserved geographic and political power from almost all external influence for many generations; they had never been subdued. Before the arrival of the British, Arabs involved in slave trading and their caravans passed at the southern edges of the Agĩkũyũ nation. Slavery as an institution did not exist amongst

2700-529: The 2002 elections that he needed only one term as president. On 16 September 2007, Kibaki announced that he would run as the candidate of a new alliance called the Party of National Unity, which would include a number of parties, including KANU , the Democratic Party , NARC–Kenya , FORD-Kenya , Ford–People and Shirikisho among others. The Orange Democratic Movement–Kenya (ODM–Kenya) alliance

2800-803: The 2005 referendum under the banner Orange Democratic Movement, but former president Daniel arap Moi was among the KANU faction opposing involvement with the ODM–Kenya coalition. As a result, ODM–Kenya split in two in August 2007, one remaining as ODM–Kenya and led by Kalonzo Musyoka , the other going by the name Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). KANU subsequently left the coalition entirely, and Moi announced his support for Kibaki, his former political enemy, in late August. Uhuru Kenyatta followed suit and announced his support for Kibaki in mid-September. KANU did not nominate as presidential candidate, although it contested

2900-471: The Agikuyu now form an integral part of the Kenyan nation. They continue to play their part as citizens of Kenya, helping to build their country. However, some Kenyans resent their incorrectly perceived superior economic status and political power and unity, a resentment sometimes vented through political violence, as happened in 1992, 1997 and 2007 Kenyan elections. According to a Y-Chromosome DNA study by Wood et al. (2005), around 73% of Gĩkũyũs belong to

3000-616: The Agikuyu often resulted in defeat for the latter, thanks to their inferior weaponry. The Agikuyu, having been unsuccessful in their conflicts with the European settlers and the colonial government, turned to political means as a method of resolving their grievances. Kenya served as a base for the British in the First World War as part of their effort to capture the German colonies to the south, which were initially frustrated. At

3100-450: The Agĩkũyũ were involved in small scale industries with professions such as bridge building, string making, wire drawing, and iron chain making. The Agĩkũyũ had a great sense of justice ( kĩhooto ). The Agĩkũyũ nation was divided into nine clans. Each clan traced its lineage to a single female ancestor and a daughter of Mumbi . The clans were not restricted to any particular geographical area, they lived side by side. Some clans had

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3200-447: The Agĩkũyũ, nor did they make raids for the capture of slaves. The Arabs who tried to venture into Agĩkũyũ land met instant death. Relying on a combination of land purchases, blood-brotherhood (partnerships), intermarriage with other people, and their adoption and absorption, the Agĩkũyũ were in a constant state of territorial expansion. Economically, the Agĩkũyũ were great farmers and shrewd businesspeople. Besides farming and business,

3300-551: The Assistant Minister for Provincial Administration and Internal Security confirmed to parliament that the commission had cost Kshs 7,635,694 with the Kenya Government contributing Kshs 5,951,930 and donors contributing Kshs 1,683,764. Kenyan presidential election of 2007 Mwai Kibaki PNU Mwai Kibaki PNU General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2007. Voters elected

3400-622: The ECK. The ECK initially set a deadline of 19 November 2007 for submitting the candidate lists to prevent candidates from defecting after failing to gain nominations from their parties, but later retracted and allowed defections to minor parties. The ODM, PNU and ODM–K held their primary elections on 16 November, with all three termed as chaotic and being marred by irregularities and violence. Numerous candidates defected to smaller parties after failing to get candidature by their respective parties, including Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai , who failed to gain

3500-761: The Gĩkũyũ nation, so, for example, were the occurrence of smallpox and syphilis recorded. Girls' initiation sets were also accorded special names, although there has been little research in this area. Mũriũki only unearths three sets, whose names are, Rũharo [1894], Kibiri/Ndũrĩrĩ [1895], Kagica [1896], Ndutu/Nuthi [1897]. All these names are taken from Metumi (Mũrang'a) and Kabete Kĩambu . Mathew Njoroge Kabetũ's list reads, Tene , Kĩyĩ , Aagu , Ciĩra , Mathathi , Ndemi , Iregi , Maina ( Ngotho ), Mwangi . Gakaara wa Wanjaũ's list reads Tene , Nema Thĩ , Kariraũ , Aagu , Tiru , Cuma , Ciira , Ndemi , Mathathi , Iregi , Maina , Mwangi , Irũngũ , Mwangi wa Mandũti . The last two generations came after 1900. One of

3600-421: The Gĩkũyũ people possessed and minimize events that led to catastrophes that would diminish the life force of the people or lead to death. The leader of the Gĩkũyũ people was the person who was thought to possess the greatest life force among the people or the person who had demonstrated the greatest life force in taking care of the people, their families, their farm produce, their cattle and their land. This person

3700-401: The Gĩkũyũ religion and life, in general, was anchored on the understanding that everything in the universe has an inner interlinked force that we do not see. God among the Gĩkũyũ people was understood hence to be the owner and distributor (Mũgai) of this inner life force in all things and He was worshiped and praised to either increase the life force of all things (farm produce, cattle, children)

3800-511: The Gĩkũyũ, Embu, and Kamba use this name. Ngai was also known as Mũrungu by the Meru and Embu tribes, or Mũlungu (a variant of a word referring to the Creator). The title Mwathani or Mwathi (the greatest ruler) comes from the word gwatha meaning to rule or reign with authority, was and is still used. All sacrifices to Ngai were performed under a sycamore tree (Mũkũyũ) and if one was not available,

3900-464: The Hair of the N'jenge , and many more. When the European missionaries arrived in the Agikuyu country in 1888, they learned the Kikuyu language and started writing it using a modified Roman alphabet. The Kikuyu responded strongly to missionaries and European education. They had greater access to education and opportunities for involvement in the new money economy and political changes in their country. As

4000-531: The Kamba people who speak a language similar to Gĩkũyũ. As a result, the Gĩkũyũ people that retain much of the original Gĩkũyũ heritage reside around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. The Murang'a district is considered by many to be the cradle of the Gĩkũyũ people. Until 1888, the Agikuyu literature was purely expressed in folklore . Famous stories include The Maiden Who Was Sacrificed By Her Kin , The Lost Sister , The Four Young Warriors , The Girl who Cut

4100-471: The Kenya African Union (KAU). It was a nationalist organisation that demanded access to white-owned land. KAU acted as a constituency association for the first black member of Kenya's legislative council, Eliud Mathu , who had been nominated in 1944 by the governor after consulting with the local Bantu/Nilotic elite. The KAU remained dominated by the Kikuyu ethnic group. In 1947 Jomo Kenyatta ,

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4200-418: The Kikuyu nation, most of whom had been pushed off their land by the encroaching European settlers, and lived as itinerant farmers. To protect their interests, the settlers banned the production of coffee, introduced a hut tax , and landless workers were granted less and less land in exchange for their labour. A massive exodus to the cities ensued as their ability to provide a living from the land dwindled. In

4300-518: The National Assembly elections, the ODM won 99 of the 208 seats, with the PNU finishing second with 43 seats. The Kenya African National Union , which had ruled the country from independence until 2002 was reduced to being the fourth-largest party with only 15 seats. Only 71 of the 190 sitting MPs were re-elected, twenty ministers lost their seats and a record 15 female MPs were elected. There

4400-461: The National Assembly elections. Several ODM members vied for presidency, including Musyoka, Raila Odinga , Kenyatta (before KANU's withdrawal), William Ruto , Najib Balala , Musalia Mudavadi and Joseph Nyagah . Following the August 2007 split, ODM–Kenya appointed Musyoka as its candidate on 31 August and the ODM selected Odinga as its candidate on 1 September. Presidential candidates presented their nomination papers on 14 and 15 November to

4500-708: The Niger-Kordofan cluster, 36% from Cushitic, 8% from Nilo-Saharan, 6% from Sandawe, and 1% or less from each of the other clusters According to Salas et al. (2002), other Gĩkũyũs largely carry the L1a clade, which is one of the African mtDNA Haplogroups. Gĩkũyũs speak the Gĩkũyũ language as their native tongue, which is a member of the Bantu language family . Additionally, many speak Swahili and English as lingua franca,

4600-539: The Rift Valley region of Kenya. Both Kibaki and Odinga largely ignored United Nations efforts to set up independent tribunals to bring the leaders of the post 2007-election violence to justice. On 10 December 2020, a high court orders the government to compensate four victims of sexual attacks by security agents during post-election violence during violence following the 2007 Kenyan general election. Kikuyu people The Kikuyu (also Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ ) are

4700-527: The Second World War (1939–45) Kenya became an important military base. For the Agikuyu soldiers who took part in the war as part of the King's African Rifles (KAR), the war stimulated African nationalism and shattered their conceptions of Europeans. Meanwhile, on the political front, in 1944 Thuku founded and was first chairman of the multi-ethnic Kenya African Study Union (KASU). In 1946 KASU became

4800-406: The ban on female circumcision, and support for Thuku. The KCA sent Kenyatta to England in 1924 and again in 1931 to air their grievances against the colonial government and its policies. By the 1930s, approximately 30,000 white settlers lived in Agikuyu country and gained a political voice because of their contribution to the market economy . The area was already home to over a million members of

4900-418: The benefit of all earlier literature on the subject as well as doing extensive field work in the areas of Gaki (Nyeri), Metumi (Mũrang'a) and Kabete (Kĩambu). On top of the ruling generations, he also gives names of the regiments or army sets from 1659 [within a margin of error] and the names of annual initiation sets beginning 1864. The list from Metumi (Mũrang'a) is most complete and differentiated. Mũriũki's

5000-571: The cabinet. A record 2,548 candidates contested the National Assembly elections, more than double the 1,033 that ran in 2002. The 269 female candidates was also a record. The ODM had the highest number of candidates with 190, followed by Kenya National Democratic Alliance (KENDA) with 170, the PNU (135), ODM–K (135), KADDU (97) KANU (91), Safina (88), NARC (73), the Democratic Party (86) and NARC–Kenya (59). A total of 108 parties fielded parliamentary candidates, another record. For

5100-514: The case, as there are very many Gĩkũyũ male names. One theory is that the female names are much less, with the names of the full-nine daughters of Mũmbi being most prevalent. Gakaara wa Wanjaũ supports this view when he writes in his book, Mĩhĩrĩga ya Aagĩkũyũ , Hingo ĩyo ciana cia arũme ciatuagwo marĩĩtwa ma mariika ta Watene, Cuma, Iregi kana Ciira. Nao airĩĩtu magatuuo marĩĩtwa ma mĩhĩrĩga tauria hagwetetwo nah au kabere, o nginya hingo iria maundu maatabariirwo thuuthaini ati ciana ituagwo aciari

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5200-522: The colonial government was short-lived. He was exiled to Kismayu the following year, and it was not until 1924 that the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) was formed to carry on with Thuku's campaign. From 1924, the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA), with Jomo Kenyatta as its Secretary General focused on unifying the Kikuyu into one geographic polity, but its project was undermined by controversies over ritual tribute, land allocation,

5300-402: The colonial government. When disputes with white settlers and the Agikuyu became violent (usually over land issues), the settlers would employ Maasai tribesmen together with some colonial troops to carry out their fighting for them. The Maasai had historically negative relations with the Agikuyu, and thus were willing to take up arms against them. The various conflicts between the settlers and

5400-525: The common paternal haplogroup E1b1a . The remainder carry other clades : 19% E1b1b with E-M293 contributing 11%, 2% A , and 2% B . In terms of maternal lineages, Gĩkũyũs closely cluster with other Northeast Bantu speaking groups like the Kamba . Most belong to various Africa-centered mtDNA macro-haplogroup L lineages such as L0f , L3x , L4g and L5 per Castrì et al. (2009). Kikuyu were estimated by Tishkoff et al. to have 43% ancestry from

5500-637: The company and buried alive in revenge. Following severe financial difficulties of the British East Africa Company, the British government on 1 July 1895 established direct Crown rule through the East African Protectorate , subsequently opening in 1902 the fertile highlands to European emigrants. The Agikuyu, upset at the waves of emigrants, enforced a policy of killing any of their own that collaborated with

5600-427: The departed spirits of the ancestors can be reborn again in this world when children are being born, hence the rites performed during the child naming ceremonies. The Gĩkũyũ people believed the vital life force or soul of a person can be increased or diminished, thereby affecting the person's health. They also believed that some people possessed power to manipulate the inner force in all things. These people who increased

5700-436: The earliest recorded lists by McGregor reads (list taken from a history of unchanged) Manjiri , Mandũti , Chiera , Masai , Mathathi , Ndemi , Iregi , Maina , Mwangi , Mũirũngũ . According to Hobley (a historian) each initiation generation, riika , extended over two years. The ruling generation at the arrival of the Europeans was called Maina . It is said that Maina handed over to Mwangi in 1898. Hobley asserts that

5800-541: The elder daughter (Wanjirũ according to Leakey) of the original Gĩkũyũ of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi fame. After he was deposed, it was decided that the government should be democratic, which is how the Ituĩka came to be. This legend of course calls into question exactly when it was that the matrilineal rule set in. The last Ituĩka ceremony, where the riika of Maina handed over power to the Mwangi generation, took place in 1898–9. The next one

5900-498: The election, but said that democracy "is unstoppable like the flow of the Nile". The ODM announced its intention to hold a ceremony on 31 December in which Odinga would be declared the "people's president", but police said that this could incite violence and that Odinga could be arrested if the ceremony occurred. Odinga then delayed this, but called for a million-strong rally on 3 January 2008 and for his supporters to wear black armbands as

6000-417: The elections as a concluded event and warning that law-breakers would be punished. Preliminary results showed that Vice-President Moody Awori and Wangari Maathai both lost their seats. Other notable politicians with the same fate included Mutahi Kagwe , Musikari Kombo , Simeon Nyachae , Nicholas Biwott , Chris Murungaru, Mukhisa Kituyi , Raphael Tuju , Kipruto Kirwa , Njenga Karume and Gideon Moi ,

6100-531: The first time, no party fielded a candidate in every constituency; every previous election had seen KANU contest every seat. The Kitutu Masaba Constituency had the highest number of candidates at 33 and all 210 constituencies had at least two candidates, meaning that there were no uncontested seats, another first. Opinion polls in late October put support for Odinga at 50%, with Kibaki at 39%, and Musyoka at 8%. A poll released in early November put Odinga at 45%, Kibaki at 41% and Musyoka at 11%, while on 23 November

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6200-732: The following sets were grouped under Maina – Kĩnũthia , Karanja , Njũgũna , Kĩnyanjui , Gathuru and Ng'ang'a . Professor Mũriũki however puts these sets much earlier, namely Karanja and Kĩnũthia belong to the Ciira ruling generation which ruled from the year 1722 to 1756, give or take 25 years, according to Mũriũki . Njũgũna , Kĩnyanjui , Ng'ang'a belong to the Mathathi ruling generation that ruled from 1757 to 1791, give or take 20 years, according to Mũriũki. Professor Mũriũki's list must be given precedence in this area as he conducted extensive research in this area starting 1969, and had

6300-505: The former president of the moderate Kikuyu Central Association, became president of the more aggressive KAU to demand a greater political voice for the native inhabitants. The failure of the KAU to attain any significant reforms or redress of grievances from the colonial authorities shifted the political initiative to younger and more militant figures within the African trade union movement, among

6400-419: The general Bantu peoples thought as follows: The Gĩkũyũ held a belief in the interconnection of everything in the universe. To the Gĩkũyũ people, everything we see has an inner spiritual force and the most sacred though unspoken ontology was being is force. This spiritual vital force originated from God, who had the power to create or destroy that life force. To the Gĩkũyũ people, God was the supreme being in

6500-539: The great fig trees (Mugumo). These trees served as places of worship and sacrifice and marked the spot at Mũkũrwe Wa Nyagathanga where Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi – the ancestors of the Gĩkũyũ in the oral legend – first settled. Ngai has human characteristics, and although some say that he lives in the sky or in the clouds, Gĩkũyũ lore also says that Ngai comes to earth from time to time to inspect it, bestow blessings, and mete out punishment. When he comes, Ngai rests on Mount Kenya (Kīrīnyaga) and Kilimambogo (kĩrĩma kĩa njahĩ). Thunder

6600-406: The initiation. For example, Wainaina refers to those who shivered during circumcision. Kũinaina (to shake or to shiver). There was a very important ceremony known as Ituĩka in which the old guard would hand over the reins of government to the next generation. This was to avoid dictatorship. Kenyatta related how once, in the land of the Agĩkũyũ, there ruled a despotic King called Gĩkũyũ, grandson of

6700-444: The lack of visitation equals approximately $ 47.6 million. The fragile state of the economy affected surrounding countries as well. After being sworn in as president, Kibaki named a partial cabinet on 8 January 2008, composed of 17 MPs from his party PNU and ODM–Kenya which entered into a coalition agreement, along with KANU. A number of further cabinet slots were left temporarily open, presumably to give space for negotiations with

6800-647: The land, capturing British supplies, and remaining undefeated. He eventually surrendered in Zambia eleven days after the Armistice was signed in 1918. To chase von Lettow-Vorbeck, the British deployed Indian Army troops from India and then needed large numbers of porters to overcome the formidable logistics of transporting supplies far into the interior by foot. The Carrier Corps was formed and ultimately mobilised over 400,000 Africans, contributing to their long-term politicisation. The experiences gained by Africans in

6900-598: The list of alleged perpetrators to Kofi Annan. In July 2009 Kofi Annan handed the envelope to Luis Moreno-Ocampo , the Prosecutor at the ICC . The Kenyan Government was then given 1-year, beginning July 2009, to set up a Tribunal to deal with issue. Failure to do this would see the ICC would pick up the matter beginning August 2010. Daily Nation, 13, 20 July In response to a query by Joseph Lekuton , on 16 December 2008, Orwa Ojode

7000-597: The north and east, while others argue that the Kikuyu, along with their closely related Eastern Bantu neighbours the Embu , Meru , Mbeere , and Kamba moved into Kenya from points further north. From archaeological evidence, their arrival at the northern side of Mt. Kenya dates to around the 3rd century, as part of the larger group known as Thagicu. By the 6th century, there was a community of Agikuyu newly established at Gatung'ang'a in Nyeri . The Agikuyu established themselves in their current homeland of Mt. Kenya region by

7100-499: The opposition ODM, which immediately challenged the constitutionality of the new government. By April 2008, Kenya was stable, though the conflict left “1,500 dead, 3,000 innocent women raped, and 300,000 people internally displaced." Kibaki remained President and Odinga was named Prime Minister. The National Assembly results were cancelled in three of the 210 constituencies. Prior to 2007, hostility surrounding politics in Kenya existed on

7200-403: The other hand, were initiated every year. Several regiments then make up a ruling generation. It was estimated that ruling generations lasted an average of 35 years. The names of the initiation and regiment sets vary within Gĩkũyũ land. The ruling generations are however uniform and provide very important chronological data. On top of that, the initiation sets were a way of documenting events within

7300-596: The outbreak of war in August 1914, the governors of British East Africa (as the Protectorate was generally known) and German East Africa agreed to a truce in an attempt to keep the young colonies out of direct hostilities. However, Lt. Col Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck took command of the German military forces, determined to tie down as many British resources as possible. Completely cut off from Germany , von Lettow conducted an effective guerrilla warfare campaign, living off

7400-442: The parents belonged to. Naming them after the specific clan that the parents belonged to would have severely restricted naming options. This would strangely mean that the female names are the oldest in Gĩkũyũ land, further confirming its matrilineal descent. As far as male names are concerned, there is of course the chicken and the egg question, of when a name specifically appeared but some names are tied to events that happened during

7500-445: The people who inherited life force from the first parents, then followed by the immediate dead and finally the eldest in the community. Hence when people wanted to offer sacrifices, the eldest in the community would perform the rites. Children in the community had a link to God through their parents and that chain would move upwards to parent parents, ancestors, first created parents until it reaches God Himself. The Gĩkũyũ people believed

7600-816: The post-election violence. Crime exploded in Kikuyu settlements in the Rift Valley, and intra-urban slums in Mombasa. Most Kikuyus in the Rift Valley fled their homes and settled anywhere they could find refuge. Some Kikuyu's settled in a church at Kiambaa in Eldoret, where Kalenjin youth barricaded the door from outside and set the church on fire killing about 30 people. Farms were looted and roads were blocked, leaving people unable to work, farmers and commuters alike. Many members of large ethnic groups attacked anyone who they felt didn't belong; minorities and people that had come from other countries were common targets. Some people even fled to Uganda and other nearby countries to escape

7700-425: The results without delay, declaring Kibaki the winner; claiming that he did not personally know who really won. Within minutes of the commission's declaration of Kibaki's victory, ethnically based rioting and violence, primarily directed against Kikuyus, broke out across Kenya, and the government suspended live television coverage for some days. Odinga alleged that "a clique of people around Kibaki" sought to rig

7800-469: The same day, the gap between the two candidates narrowed. Early on 30 December, Odinga accused the government of fraud, urged Kibaki to concede defeat, and called for a recount. The ECK declared Kibaki the winner later on 30 December, placing him ahead of Odinga by about 232,000 votes. According to Odinga, at least 300,000 votes for Kibaki were falsely included in his total. ECK chairman Samuel Kivuitu said that while irregularities had occurred, they were

7900-659: The same day, three ODM supporters were shot (one of them fatally), allegedly by bodyguards of Stanley Livondo , who was running as the PNU candidate for Odinga's seat in the National Assembly. Livondo was arrested, along with two of his bodyguards and later released. Pius Muiru, a televangelist and the leader of Kenya People's Party (KPP), officially launched his bid for the presidency on 21 October 2007 at Kamukunji grounds. Two cabinet ministers, first Health Minister Charity Ngilu and then Regional Co-operation Minister John Koech , backed Odinga in October; Kibaki dismissed Ngilu from

8000-431: The social unrest. One sector greatly affected by the political unrest was tourism; flights and tours were cancelled, companies withdrew from Kenya, and many people lost their job due to lay-offs. The international media covered the tragedies extensively, giving the outside world the impression that the entire country was amidst a bloody battle, when truly, parts of Kenya were untouched by violence. The loss Kenya suffered from

8100-701: The son of former president Daniel arap Moi. The elections were cancelled in Kamukunji and Kilgoris . Kibaki, of the Kikuyu ethnic group, was supported by Kikuyus, while Odinga, of the Luo ethnic group, was supported by the Luo and Kalenjins. Fifteen minutes after Kibaki was announced as the winner of the presidential elections, Luo began violent demonstrations in Nairobi. Within a day, nearly all businesses were closed and streets were empty. During January and February 2008, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes, and more than 1,000 people died from

8200-520: The squatters on the settler estates in the Rift Valley and in KAU branches in Nairobi and the Kikuyu districts of central province. By 1952, under Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi , the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (Mau Mau) launched an all-out revolt against the colonial government, the settlers and their Kenyan allies. By this time, the Mau Mau were fighting for complete independence of Kenya. The war

8300-533: The start of the fifth year and going on annually for the next nine calendar years. This was the system adopted in Metumi Murang'a . The regiment or army sets also get special names, some of which seem to have ended up as popular male names. In Gaki Nyeri the system was inversed with initiation taking place annually for four calendar years, which would be followed by a period of nine calendar years in which no initiation of boys took place ( mũhingo ). Girls, on

8400-570: The tallying process to the satisfaction of all parties and candidates." The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary, David Miliband , said that he had "real concerns" about the elections. While the United States initially congratulated Kibaki and called for the results to be respected, it also expressed concern, and on 2 January 2008 a spokesman for the US State Department declined to confirm US recognition of Kibaki's victory. In

8500-746: The traditionally dominant Kikuyu ethnic group, gaining much support amongst the Kikuyu and neighbouring groups in central Kenya, including the Embu and Meru. Odinga, as a member of the Luo ethnic group, succeeded in creating a wider base by building a coalition with regional leaders from the Luhya in Western Kenya , Kalenjin from the Rift Valley and Muslim leaders from the Coast Province . Kibaki

8600-601: The two official languages of Kenya. The Gĩkũyũ are closely related to some Bantu communities due to intermarriages prior to colonization. These communities are the Embu, Meru, and Akamba people who also live around Mt. Kenya. Members of the Gĩkũyũ family from the greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri districts are closely related to the Maasai people also due to intermarriage prior to colonization. The Gĩkũyũ people between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to

8700-429: The universe and the giver (Mũgai/Ngai) of this life force to everything that exists. Gĩkũyũ people also believed that everything God created had a vital inner force and a connection bond to Him by the mere fact that he created that thing and gave it that inner force that makes it be and be manifested physically. To the Agĩkũyũ, God had this life force within himself hence He was the ultimate owner and ruler of everything in

8800-408: The universe. The latter was the ultimate conception of God among the Gĩkũyũ people hence the name Mũgai/Ngai. To the Gĩkũyũ people, those who possessed the greatest life force, those closest to God were the first parents created by God because God directly gave them the vital living force. These first parents were so respected to be treated almost like God himself. These were followed by the ancestors of

8900-566: The war, coupled with the creation of the white-dominated Kenya Crown Colony, gave rise to considerable political activity in the 1920s which culminated in Archdeacon Owen's "Piny Owacho" (Voice of the People) movement and the "Young Kikuyu Association" (renamed the "East African Association") started in 1921 by Harry Thuku (1895–1970), which gave a sense of nationalism to many Kikuyu and advocated civil disobedience. Thuku's campaign against

9000-402: The well-being of a person spirit were called medicine-men (Mũgo) while those who diminished the person's life force were called witchdoctors (Mũrogi). They also believed that ordinary items can have their spiritual powers increased such that they protect a person against those bent on diminishing a person vital life force. Such an item with such powers was called gĩthitũ . Thus, the philosophy of

9100-481: Was David Shikomera Majanja, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. The post-election violence report by Waki Commission, commonly known as the "Waki report", was handed over to president Mwai Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga on 15 October 2008. The report has 529 pages. The report however did not publicly disclose the alleged perpetrators in the report handed to the President. The Waki Commission instead handed

9200-471: Was declared the winner and sworn in on 30 December, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory. Odinga and many international observers claimed the elections were at least partially manipulated. Following the declaration, violent protests erupted particularly in Kibera , and this included ethnic violence targeted against Kikuyu people living outside their traditional settlement areas, especially in

9300-467: Was declared the winner with 46% of the vote, and was sworn in at State House on 30 December. However, opposition leader Raila Odinga also claimed victory, and civil unrest broke out resulting in the deaths of several hundred people and the displacement of up to 600,000. This was ended by the National Accord and Reconciliation Act , which led to Odinga being appointed as Prime Minister . In

9400-630: Was expected to field the strongest challenger to Kibaki; the main parties originally affiliated to ODM–Kenya were the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and KANU. At the time of the 2002 elections , the LDP had been part of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) movement backing Kibaki, but its ministers were dismissed from the cabinet after the 2005 constitutional referendum . KANU and LDP had originally teamed up for

9500-447: Was given a special name. According to Professor Godfrey Mũriũki, the individual initiation sets are then grouped into a regiment every nine calendar years. Before a regiment or army was set, there was a period in which no initiation of boys took place. This period lasted a total of four and a half calendar years (nine seasons in Gĩkũyũ land, each season referred to as imera ) and is referred to as mũhingo , with initiation taking place at

9600-409: Was hence thought to be closer to God than anybody else living in that nation. The said person also had to demonstrate and practice the highest levels of truth ( maa ) and justice ( kihooto ), just like the supreme God of the Gĩkũyũ people would do. The Agĩkũyũ had four seasons and two harvests in one year. Further, time was recorded through the initiation by circumcision . Each initiation group

9700-420: Was referred to as mũhingo . ) Karanja (1759–1762), Kĩnũthia (1772–1775), Ndũrĩrĩ (1785–1788), Mũgacho (1798–1801), Njoroge (1811–1814), Kang'ethe (1824–1827), Gitaũ (1837–1840), Manyaki (1850–1853), Kiambũthi (1863–1866), Watuke (1876–1879), Ngũgĩ (1889–1892), Wakanene (1902–1905). The remarkable thing in this list in comparison to the Metumi one is how some of the same names are used, if

9800-554: Was reported as 115%, although this was later clarified by Kivuitu appearing in an interview by Nation Television due to a double entry of one polling station in Maragua Constituency on the parliamentary tally and not the presidential tally. According to the European Union 's head election observer, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff , the elections were "flawed" and the ECK had failed to establish "the credibility of

9900-437: Was supposed to be held in 1925–1928 [Kenyatta] but was thwarted by the colonial imperialist government and one by one Gĩkũyũ institutions crumbled. The ruling generations, the rĩĩka system can be traced back to the year 1500 AD or thereabouts. These were: The last Ituĩka ceremony where the rĩĩka of Maina handed over power to the Mwangi generation, took place in 1898–1899. The next one was supposed to be held in 1925–1928 but

10000-551: Was thwarted by the colonial government. The traditional symbols of power among the Agikuyu nation is the Muthĩgi (Stick) which signifies power to lead and the Itimũ (Spear) signifying power to call people to war. The traditional way of life of Agikuyu was disrupted when they came into contact with the British around 1888. British explorers had visited the region prior the " Scramble for Africa ", and now various individuals moved to establish

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