Knowledge (XXG)

Swynnerton Plan

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219:, and implementation served the politically expedient needs of the colonial government. These reforms, which were intended to increase the opportunities for Africans in the colonial society and to integrate them more effectively into the changing pattern of the economy, could not contain African politics. Nor could African politicians be 'pocketed', because the land and other economic reforms that been introduced, while benefiting indigenous capital interests, fell far short of popular demands. For example, the land consolidation programme had repressive political objectives. In the words of the Special Commissioner for Central Province, 'Thus land consolidation was to complete the work of the Emergency: to stabilise a conservative middle class, based on the loyalists; and, as confiscated land was to be thrown into the common land pool during consolidation, it was also to confirm the landlessness of the rebels.'. 192:
be consolidated and enclosed. The 'progressive' farmers would thereby be able to obtain credit, which had been previously denied them, whilst the new title deeds would create security of tenure which would lead to investment and rural development. Furthermore, it recommended that native African farmers be allowed to grow cash crops, be given a major increase in technical assistance, and have access to all marketing facilities, all of which were previously available and restricted to the
230:(tenant) option for these landless poor, amounting to around one-third of the tribe's population. Henceforth, they had no kin, no ancestral land, no marginal marshlands in the reserves to go to; a new Kikuyu society was born—propertied and propertyless—and left to face an uncertain future in face of the politics of independence. 239:
recognition of private interests in land. Although the two recommendations were accepted with some modifications to suit the European farmers, they set the stage for an impending land settlement programme intended to formalise greater African participation in agriculture, the mainstay of Kenya's economy.
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1953–1955, were a reversal of previous colonial policies on native agricultural practices. It recommended that all high-quality native land be surveyed and enclosed; that the policy of maintaining 'traditional' or tribal systems of land tenure be reversed; and all the thousands of fragmented holdings
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so that land ownership could be concentrated in the hands of a few farmers. These individuals would then become transformed into what was envisaged as an 'African middle class' that engaged in economic production, while at the same time offering employment to the bulk of those rendered landless by
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Despite this, the greater lasting benefits of the Swynnerton plan proposals were that they were accepted in full by the Royal Commission, which went further with them, recommending the removal of all racial and political barriers inhibiting the free movement of land, labour, and capital, and the
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600,000 African families would have farming units of approximately ten acres a family, which would raise their average productivity in cash sales from £10 to £100 a year after providing for their own needs. In drawing up his plan, Swynnerton assumed twenty years would be needed to implement it.
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Roger Swynnerton was an official in the Department of Agriculture, and the main objective of the plan was to create family holdings large enough to keep the family self-sufficient in food and also enable them to practise alternate husbandry and thus develop a cash income. It was envisioned that
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These twin policies of land consolidation and removal of all barriers to the functioning of land market were put into practise by 1960, and enabled a reconciliation between the departing colonial authority and the leaders of an independent Kenya.
226:, land registration and consolidation during the Emergency was the final, bitter, codification of Kikuyu clan history. By this, the plan amounted to a mental revolution for those at the bottom of Kikuyu society, destroying the 175:. The plan was geared to expanding native Kenyan's cash-crop production through improved markets and infrastructure, the distribution of appropriate inputs, and the gradual consolidation and enclosure of land holdings. 199:
The results were dramatic: the value of recorded output from the small-holdings rose from £5.2 million in 1955 to £14 million in 1964, coffee accounting for 55 percent of the increase.
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So the state intensified the spread of cash crops and dairy cattle in the African reserves, on the startling new basis of generalised private, freehold, property. For the
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the plan. It was anticipated that the remaining landless peasants would become small-scale rural craftsmen.
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When the Swynnerton Report was first published, its findings, in complement with the East Africa
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The Swynnerton Report: A plan to intensify the development of African agriculture in Kenya
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Unhappy Valley: Conflict in Kenya and Africa; Book Two: Violence & Ethnicity
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Moreover, the plan also sought to consolidate scattered landholdings in
171:, aiming to intensify the development of agricultural practice in the 385:
Histories of the Hanged: The Dirty War in Kenya and the End of Empire
20: 168: 24: 559:. African Social Studies Series. Vol. 3. Leiden: Brill. 285: 283: 532:. In Ogot, Bethwell Alan; Ochieng', William Robert (eds.). 505:. In Ogot, Bethwell Alan; Ochieng', William Robert (eds.). 270: 268: 534:Decolonization and Independence in Kenya, 1940–93 507:Decolonization and Independence in Kenya, 1940–93 413:Decolonization and Independence in Kenya, 1940–93 486:. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers. 167:that appeared as a government report in 1954 in 349: 337: 36: 8: 301: 483:Squatters and the Roots of Mau Mau, 1905–63 289: 259: 43: 29: 21: 557:Undercurrents of Ethnic Conflict in Kenya 403:Atieno-Odhiambo, Elisha Stephen (1995). 325: 252: 462:Labour and Poverty in Kenya, 1900–1980 434:Berman, Bruce; Lonsdale, John (1992). 313: 361: 7: 503:"Structural & Political Changes" 274: 215:The plan was implemented during the 459:Collier, Paul; Lal, Deepak (1986). 388:. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 14: 501:Ochieng', William Robert (1995). 211:Impacts on the political economy 578:. Nairobi: Government Printer. 405:"The Formative Years: 1945–55" 234:Stepping stone to Independence 1: 530:"The Decisive Years: 1956–63" 528:Ogot, Bethwell Alan (1995). 574:Swynnerton, R.J.M. (1955). 465:. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 609: 407:. In Ogot, Bethwell Alan; 338:Berman & Lonsdale 1992 480:Kanogo, Tabitha (1993) . 411:, William Robert (eds.). 62: 382:Anderson, David (2005). 70:Assassination of Waruhiu 16:Kenya agriculture policy 555:Oucho, John O. (2002). 290:Collier & Lal 1986 350:Atieno-Odhiambo 1995 107:Christmas Eve Battle 87:Ruck Family massacre 75:Operation Jock Scott 513:. pp. 83–109. 165:agricultural policy 540:. pp. 48–82. 419:. pp. 25–47. 304:, pp. 83–109. 136:Capture of Kimathi 102:Operation Mushroom 566:978-9-004-12459-2 547:978-0-821-41051-6 520:978-0-821-41051-6 472:978-0-198-28505-2 451:978-0-852-55099-1 426:978-0-821-41051-6 156: 155: 54:Mau Mau rebellion 600: 579: 570: 551: 524: 497: 476: 455: 430: 399: 369: 359: 353: 347: 341: 335: 329: 323: 317: 311: 305: 299: 293: 292:, pp. 44–5. 287: 278: 272: 263: 257: 217:Mau Mau Uprising 204:Central Province 189:Royal Commission 57: 55: 45: 38: 31: 22: 608: 607: 603: 602: 601: 599: 598: 597: 583: 582: 573: 567: 554: 548: 527: 521: 500: 494: 479: 473: 458: 452: 433: 427: 402: 396: 381: 378: 373: 372: 360: 356: 348: 344: 336: 332: 324: 320: 312: 308: 300: 296: 288: 281: 273: 266: 260:Swynnerton 1955 258: 254: 249: 236: 213: 181: 163:was a colonial 161:Swynnerton Plan 157: 152: 124:Swynnerton Plan 119:Operation Anvil 58: 53: 51: 49: 17: 12: 11: 5: 606: 604: 596: 595: 585: 584: 581: 580: 571: 565: 552: 546: 525: 519: 498: 492: 477: 471: 456: 450: 431: 425: 400: 394: 377: 374: 371: 370: 354: 342: 340:, p. 459. 330: 328:, p. 294. 318: 316:, p. 164. 306: 294: 279: 264: 251: 250: 248: 245: 235: 232: 212: 209: 180: 177: 154: 153: 151: 150: 139: 138: 127: 126: 121: 110: 109: 104: 99: 97:Chuka massacre 94: 89: 78: 77: 72: 63: 60: 59: 50: 48: 47: 40: 33: 25: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 605: 594: 593:1954 in Kenya 591: 590: 588: 577: 572: 568: 562: 558: 553: 549: 543: 539: 535: 531: 526: 522: 516: 512: 508: 504: 499: 495: 489: 485: 484: 478: 474: 468: 464: 463: 457: 453: 447: 443: 439: 438: 432: 428: 422: 418: 414: 410: 406: 401: 397: 395:0-393-05986-3 391: 387: 386: 380: 379: 375: 367: 363: 358: 355: 351: 346: 343: 339: 334: 331: 327: 326:Anderson 2005 322: 319: 315: 310: 307: 303: 302:Ochieng' 1995 298: 295: 291: 286: 284: 280: 276: 271: 269: 265: 261: 256: 253: 246: 244: 240: 233: 231: 229: 225: 220: 218: 210: 208: 205: 200: 197: 195: 194:white settler 190: 185: 178: 176: 174: 170: 166: 162: 149: 148:Hola massacre 146: 145: 144: 143: 137: 134: 133: 132: 131: 125: 122: 120: 117: 116: 115: 114: 108: 105: 103: 100: 98: 95: 93: 92:Lari massacre 90: 88: 85: 84: 83: 82: 76: 73: 71: 68: 67: 66: 61: 56: 46: 41: 39: 34: 32: 27: 26: 23: 19: 575: 556: 538:James Currey 533: 511:James Currey 506: 482: 461: 442:James Currey 436: 417:James Currey 412: 384: 376:Bibliography 357: 345: 333: 321: 309: 297: 255: 241: 237: 227: 221: 214: 201: 198: 186: 182: 173:Kenya Colony 160: 158: 141: 140: 129: 128: 123: 112: 111: 80: 79: 64: 18: 364:, pp.  314:Kanogo 1993 536:. Oxford: 509:. Oxford: 493:9966463267 440:. Oxford: 415:. Oxford: 362:Oucho 2002 196:minority. 275:Ogot 1995 247:Footnotes 587:Category 179:Overview 409:Ochieng 563:  544:  517:  490:  469:  448:  423:  392:  366:138–40 224:Kikuyu 169:Kenya 561:ISBN 542:ISBN 515:ISBN 488:ISBN 467:ISBN 446:ISBN 421:ISBN 390:ISBN 228:ahoi 159:The 142:1959 130:1956 113:1954 81:1953 65:1952 589:: 444:. 282:^ 267:^ 569:. 550:. 523:. 496:. 475:. 454:. 429:. 398:. 368:. 352:. 277:. 262:. 44:e 37:t 30:v

Index

v
t
e
Mau Mau rebellion
Assassination of Waruhiu
Operation Jock Scott
Ruck Family massacre
Lari massacre
Chuka massacre
Operation Mushroom
Christmas Eve Battle
Operation Anvil
Swynnerton Plan
Capture of Kimathi
Hola massacre
agricultural policy
Kenya
Kenya Colony
Royal Commission
white settler
Central Province
Mau Mau Uprising
Kikuyu
Swynnerton 1955


Ogot 1995


Collier & Lal 1986

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