How colonialists exiled Kipsigis leaders

KERICO COUNTY: In 1934, on behalf of King George the V, the then governor Henry Conway Belfield signed an ordinance to provide for the removal and settlement of Laibons around Kericho, who were thought to be leading an anti-settler wave within that region. The 12 Laibons and their families were to be evicted from Kericho to Gwasi.

This was just a tip of the iceberg. Years before, three Kalenjin brothers thought to have a lot of influence within the Kipsigis community were exiled and jailed in three different locations, far away from their homelands. One was sent to Muranga, another to Meru and the third to Kisumu.

On January 19, 1914 the then acting Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner H Horn wrote a letter to the commissioner of the East Africa Police. In it, he gave details of the exiles that would be among Kenya’s first political prisoners.

“Sir, I send herewith three political prisoners and the necessary warrants. Please see that they are escorted out to Nyeri and delivered to the provincial commissioner…” read the memo signed by Horn.

 All this in a bid to break their spirit and near mythical hold on their people. A series of formerly classified correspondence obtained by The Standard on Sunday details not only the brutality of the move of the communities, but also the nonchalant nature in which the white man dealt with defiance.

Disregard for life

For the all-conquering colonialists, there was a clear line between the enemy and the collaborator. Often, the collaborators were intimidated and cowed into serving a master they hardly knew or understood. But, as the correspondence shows, his word was final and not to be questioned.

For instance, on April 1, 1944, a visibly shaken collaborator chose to speak up and write to the provincial authorities on his uneasiness with the effortless deportations and detentions of members of his community.

“Tafadhali bwana unipe nafasi ili nipate kuuliza habari ya watu waliopelekwa katika nchi ya Gwasi katika District ya Kisii…maana yake kupelekwa huko ni nini ama walikosa sharia gani ya serikali? Nchi waliopelekwa ni mabaya sana na isio na rotuba na walipokuwa wakihamisha wengi walikufa… (Please accord me this chance to enquire about those who were taken to Gwasi in Kisii District...what was the reason for their being taken there and what government law did they break? Theywere taken to a very bad place which is not very fertile and when they were being moved many of them died...),” reads one letter of complaint from police officer Ndoigo Tililei over the displacement of his people. His fate, after the letter of enquiry remains unknown.

The communication also showed the disregard for African lives within the colonial government. After the death of Laibon arap Koilegen who was sent to Muranga, the Provincial Commissioner then wrote his Kericho counterpart thus: “I have the honour to inform you that Laibon arap Koilegen, deported to this station some years ago, died yesterday…”