The Intra-Ethnic Relations among the Meru People in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Upto 1963

Before the advent of European colonial domination in Kenya, the Meru people witnessed a lot of interactions not only amongst themselves but also with the neighboring communities. These intra-ethnic relations were greatly influenced by the uneven distribution of the resources across the greater Meru region. However, these cordial relations were abruptly altered by the arrival of the colonialists who introduced repressive and retrogressive policies like pass laws which restricted the movement of people from one place to another. Several writers have written about the Ameru people but the concept of the intra-ethnic relations among the Ameru up to 1963 has not been adequately researched. This gave the impetus to this study that sought to investigate the intra-ethnic relations among the Meru sub-ethnic groups up to 1963. The study was carried out in the counties of Meru and Tharaka-Nithi. The study was anchored on the social systems theory. The data was collected from oral, archival and secondary sources. One hundred respondents for oral interview were sampled through purposive and snowballing techniques. Research instruments employed comprised the interview schedules and focus group discussions. It was found that the Ameru people had well defined and elaborate relations right from the family to council of Njuri Ncheke. It also emerged that the Meru people had myriad relations such as the blood brotherhood (gichiaro) alliance, intra-ethnic batter trade, conflicts resulting from raiding and limited grazing fields, intra-ethnic cultural festivals held during the dry spell, naming of the age set systems (nthuke) after initiation and Njuri Ncheke conferences attended by elders from all Meru sub-ethnic groups. In addition to adding valuable knowledge to the field of history and related disciplines, the study contributes to the Ameru historiography.