Kenyan Lessons: Post Independence Issues

Christopher Witulski

Post-Colonial Misconceptions

Automatic revision of colonial policyPrimacy of the state

“Go-it-alone” attempts Threatened takeovers of large firms Most success with micro-economics (away

from state interaction)Later recognition of small business

Education, training Creation of a business class

Nairobi’s Cultural Potential

Increase in population from migration Ethnic diversity

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Optimism after independence

Resulting exchange instead of isolation

Early Success

Nairobi’s 1960’s promising start Influx of musicians Pan-African success of Kenyans Prevalence of labels and distributors

70’s stagnation Failure to develop the “Nairobi sound” Aging recording equipment Artists could not make a living

Africanization of the Industry

African takeover of foreign controlLoss of networks, social capitalKikuyu dominance, loss of diversity

Musical stagnation without popular appeal

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Zaire as an Alternative

Recognition of political power in music Government funded

popular artistsInternational connections

Cuban rumba, strong Parisian interaction

The opposite of Kenyan isolation

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Causes of Informal SettlementsNot simply poor legal

frameworkCommercialization of low-

income housingExclusion of urban middle

class from the formal process Results in middle class

ownership of informal housing

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Nairobi in Context

1899 railway settlementForeigners occupied private houses

Europeans in private houses Asians in extended family houses near the

city centerAfricans in cramped rental quarters

Racial zoning rationalized as “the need to achieve a disease free environment with minimum of public expenditure”

The Evolution of SupplyAt first non-commercial

reasons (squatting) for large settlements

Later commercial (illegal subdivisions, sub-subdivisions)

Racial zoning limited “free land market” Replaced by similar

class zoning

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Results

Mutually beneficial Politicians - votes Professionals with falling incomes Legal land owners Development “companies”

A result of a developmental contextSolutions in both more “formal” options

and more distributed resources