Generation Sets as Institutions of Cohesion and Mutual Existence in Pre-Colonial Kenya

Abstract

Abstract: Age grade and age-set systems were critical pillars among pre-colonial African societies for they ensured the maintenance of social order, cohesion, and mutual preservation. It is through these age old mechanisms that respect for people and their property were inculcated and, consequently, peace and tranquility guaranteed. In spite of the centrality of these institutions in maintaining the social fabric of pre-colonial African societies, there is inadequate coverage of this field by historians; mostly it is subsumed under other aspects of pre-colonial African historiography. There is, therefore, need to focus on the pre-colonial systems of maintenance of societal order of Kenyan communities. This is because the study of this phenomenon is of intrinsic value from the purely academic view point; affording us an opportunity to examine in details how the body politic was maintained. This paper is therefore a small contribution towards this. It examines the history of pre-colonial order and especially its maintenance and enforcement for peaceful coexistence in pre-colonial Kenyan societies. It focuses on age-grade and age-set systems as well-tried mechanisms of order and social control. Keywords: Pre-colonial Kenya, Age-set, Age grade.