9 - Captured and Steeped in Colonial Dynamics and Legacy: The Case of Isiolo Town in Kenya

Summary

This article addresses the history of Isiolo town from its creation in 1901 to the present. I argue that Isiolo is a colonial town that has remained stuck in the colonial moment. The political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics that were established during the colonial period persist forty years after Kenya attained independence. It provides an important case study; yet, Isiolo does not feature prominently in the historical discourses on urbanization in Kenya. Historians of urbanization in Kenya have for a long time concentrated on Nairobi and Mombasa, and for valid reasons. They have tended to look at several critical developments that have transformed social, economic, political, environmental, and cultural life in Nairobi and Mombasa to the exclusion of other urban areas. Why is this the case? Why are these two cities privileged at the expense of other urban centers? Many reasons might account for the privileging of Nairobi and Mombasa in historical discourses in Kenya. Mombasa is not only one of Kenya's oldest cities but has the largest natural harbor in East Africa, and is thus the gateway to Eastern Africa. On the other hand, Nairobi is Kenya's capital city and has attracted a great deal of scholarly attention, much of which celebrates its so-called rich history that dates from 1899.

Isiolo town is peripheralized due to its location in northern Kenya, a region that is usually regarded as marginal and at the backwater of Kenya's economic mainstay, agriculture. Yet many scholars fail to realize the importance of the pastoralist economy to Kenya and the important role that Isiolo town plays. Nor do scholars acknowledge Kenya's great heritage and the significant contributions that Isiolo makes to this heritage, especially since it is surrounded by three national game parks, and since it is the center of Borana culture in Kenya.

Robert Obudho, Kenya's foremost researcher on urbanism, has concentrated on Nairobi and Mombasa as if they were the only two urban areas of any importance in Kenya. This privileging of Nairobi and Mombasa has enormous implications for our understanding of Kenya's urban spaces. Still, there are other questions that have to do with the pursuit of colonial legacies, including ethnic divisions, the establishment of martial and military zones, enhancement of racial divides, and the role of ethnicity and class in determining development imperatives. These factors of analysis can all be found in Isiolo town. Further questions need to be asked.