Land Resettlement in Kenya

N. Manfred Shaffer University of California, Santa Cruz Land Resettlement in Kenya There have been many attempts at land reforms throughout the world—in Mexico, Peru, Italy, Iran, and Egypt. Perhaps the largest and surely die most dramatic is the implementation of the "Million Acre Scheme" in East Africa. Land reform or resettlement in the White Highlands1 of Kenya (Figure 1) commenced as an essentially political and social exercise.2 "The Kenya Government presumably understood that there were possibly more profitable avenues for investment elsewhere, particularly in existing small-scale agriculture."3 Nevertheless, the official agency responsible for the implementation of the program, the Department of Setdement, has ostensibly directed its main efforts to the economic aspects. Unless the economic viability of the region is maintained, the inevitable result will be damage to the country's economy, and presumably, little political and social advantage will accrue. Development of the Highlands The term "White Highlands" or euphemistically the "Highlands" or "Scheduled Areas" was derived from an official policy first enunciated in 1902 and confirmed in 1906 which stated that only Europeans would be granted Crown Lands for agricultural purposes within the Highlands area.4 1 The "White Highlands" and "Scheduled Areas" are synonomous and die Large Farm Sector which is referred to in later sections of tìiis paper includes die "White Highlands" plus seven farms of 150,000 acres at Voi and 38 farms of 123,000 acres at the coast. 3 Department of Setdement, Annual Report 1962/63, p. 2. 3C. H. Clough, "Some Notes on a Recent Economic Survey of Land Settlement in Kenya" The East African Economic Review, Vol. 1, New Series No. 3, December 1965, p. 78. 4 W. T. W. Morgan, "The White Highlands of Kenya," The Geographical Journal, Vol. 129, Part 2, June 1963, p. 140. 121 122ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS The White Highlands, lying in die southwest quadrant of the country, are but a small portion of the High Interior Plateau of eastern Africa, some 5,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level. The White Highlands are a series of greatiy undulating plateaus interrupted by the spectacular fracture of the Rift Valley which traverses the entire country from north to south. Rainfall in the highland area ranges from 40 to 60 inches per annum although in the far northeast and in the Rift Valley floor annual rainfall is usually less than 30 inches. The dominant vegetation over much of the area is tree and shrub savanna where the trees stand in the grass instead of occupying a canopy over it.5 Enclaves of Crown Forest Land are found throughout the region. In the 1890's much of the land and many of the peoples in the area to the northwest of Nairobi suffered a series of disasters. As a result of rinderpest, smallpox, drought and locusts, and the consequent famine, the population was decimated. The Kikuyu and Masai fell back to their core areas to the east and south. At the turn of the century the European settler began his move into this vacuum, negotiating agreements for land acquisition. "The grants of land, either freehold or leasehold, to the settlers were made in accordance with the Crown Lands Ordinance [of 1902], the guiding principle of which was that land not in beneficial occupation at the time was at the disposal of the Crown."6 The Europeans believed they obtained rights of permanent occupation; the local peoples, with a different concept of land tenure, believed they were allowing the strangers to cultivate their land on a temporary basis. The spatial pattern of the distribution of the indigenous peoples was frozen by the Colonial Government by the demarcation of African Land Units thus preventing the territorial expansion of tribes into temporarily empty lands.7 The White Highlands therefore included those lands which were physically unoccupied at the time 5 C. G. Trapnell and I. Langdale-Brown, "The Natural Vegetation of East Africa" in Russell, E. W. (ed.), The Natural Resources of East Africa, Nairobi: D. A. Hawkins, Ltd, 1962, p. 96. 'Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, The Origins and Growth of Mau Mau: An Historical Survey, Sessional Paper No. 5 of 1959/60...