| dc.description.abstract | The pre-colonial African political set up was composed of centralised and decentralised political systems. With colonialism, new forms of politics of representation that placed the Africans at the periphery of representative politics emerged. This study is about the history of political participation of the Gem community in Kenyan politics, from 1894 to 2020. The study is guided by three objectives; to examine the evolution of the political organisation of Gem people up to 1894, investigate the history of Gem from the onset of colonial rule and analysed the participation of Gem people in Kenya's nationalist politics from 1964 to 2020. These discussions are based on the premise that since the pre-colonial period, the people of Gem have transformed politically, beginning as agents of colonial rule in Nyanza, through the collaboration of their pioneer leaders. While it could be generally accepted that it was as a result of these circumstances that a political awareness developed in the community, which in essence, affected the character of their politics throughout the post-colonial period, these political developments have not been addressed by historical research. Thus, the assumptions of the study were that the history of politics of the people of Gem could be traced from the pre-colonial period under the leadership of pioneer leaders like Rading Omolo, Odera Ulalo, Odera Akango, Mathew Onduso and chief Ndenda among others. New forms of representative politics emerged in Gem during the colonial period that affected or influenced the nature of their participation in nationalist politics in Kenya from 1964-2020.The study used the modernization state formation theory to examine the history of political transformation of the Gem community. Methodologically, the study used historical research design. The study was conducted in Gem, Siaya County. The respondents were purposively sampled using a snowballing technique. The study targeted representatives of clans in Gem with knowledge on the political history of the community. The sample size was 120 respondents drawn from 6 wards in Gem (South Gem, East Gem, North Gem, Central Gem, West and Yala Township. The sources of data included: oral sources, archival sources and secondary sources, and were corroborated to meet the reliability and objectivity of the research. Data was collected through oral interviews and focus group discussions. The study analysed and presented data through Qualitative Data Analysis. The major findings of the study were that there were signs of a semi-modern state structure among the Gem people prior to the arrival of British colonialists that made it possible for Nabongo Mumia of Wanga to nurture political association with Odera Ulalo and Odera Akango for collaboration with the British authorities. During the colonial period, new forms of representative politics emerged as follows; appointment of chiefs; colonial protests; representation in the Legislative council; formation of political associations; collaboration with the colonial administration; and democratic elections. Argwings Kodhek from Gem, made a selfless decision to donate his expertise to advocate for Mau Mau detainees. He also played a pivotal role in the Lancaster House Conference, where the independence constitution was drafted. During the same period, Mr. Benaiah Apolo Ohanga served as a minister for the British government in the colonial parliament. Other leaders in Gem like Grace Ogot were instrumental in championing the agenda of the KANU government while Ombaka contributed to the constitutional reform initiatives in the 1990s. The study concluded that after the establishment of colonial rule in Gem, new forms of representative politics emerged and hence contributed to the transformation of the political historiography of the Gem community in Siaya County, Kenya. | en |
