A curious mix of Muceera versus Land Rover

Take time to read stickers on cars or adverts. Have you noted the popularity of Western universities‘ stickers on Kenyan cars, mostly parked around malls? Rarely are stickers for local universities, unless they are for parking. 

I read messages written on trucks. They tend to be funny and comical, like “kucheka na kulia zote ni makelele.” Local wisdom is espoused in these slogans, which often show how conservative our society is. 

Recently, on Waiyaki Way, I saw this on a spare tyre: “Mūceera.” To those from central Kenya, Mūceera is one of the nine clans. The car was a Land Rover. Why display your clan on a spare tyre of a Land Rover? It’s not that paradoxical.

Land Rover epitomises conservatism. Our presidents have used it in ceremonies till replaced by Toyota. The police, the army and other government agencies had Land Rovers; some are still in their fleets.

Traditional shrines

There was nothing more British than the Land Rover. It was later sold to Tata Motors of India and has undergone lots of modifications to look more like other cars and less boxy.

Such conservatism rhymes very well with Mūceera, the return to basics. How many young men and women can identify their clans?

By publicly displaying his clan, the Land Rover owner left no doubt that he is proud of his identity. 

The western assault on our cultures left us rudderless, without identity.

Is such a display of clan a sign that we yearn to return to the roots? I see temples from the east that define the city of Nairobi, where are our traditional shrines and temples? 

When we study the catalysts of economic growth, we often ignore the cultural anchors.  They make our lives easier. Think of travelling around the world and finding everyone is talking Swahili or your mother tongue.

That will make your life easier, even covering your inadequacies. It’s hard to tell who is bright or not bright mzungu from their English; it’s their mother tongue. 

We are trying to go around the culture trap by teaching our kids English as the first language. It’s contestable if that gives them a lifelong advantage, minus a deep cultural anchor like the Chinese or Indians.

Is self-declaring a Mūceera et al a good start? Can the Mūceera who owns this Land Rover contact me? We can have a hearty chat.