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g) Settlement in high agricultural potential areas e.g. river valleys encouraged some of
them to practice crop farming.
h) Expansion of agriculture due to demand of agricultural produce.
THE BORANA
They are also Oromo speaking people whose origin is southern Ethiopia. Their migration
into Kenya was due to escaping the Menelik Wars of Conquest in 1897 and who had
imposed heavy taxes on them. They represent some of the most recent migrations into
Kenya end as late as 1900 when more Borana groups fled into Kenya from Somali
running away from the war between the Somali Nationalists and the British.
Today the Borana occupy the area north of the Tana River.
THE SOMALI
They originated from Mogadishu where they were living by 10th century A.D. They
begun moving southwards into Kenya around that time maybe due to the Oromo threat or
they were looking for pasture for their livestock.The Somali represent the largest single
group of eastern Cushites in Kenya.
Results of Cushitic migration into Kenya
a) There was massive warfare during the migrations leading to killing of many people in
the process. For example, there was constant warfare between the Somali and the Oromo.
i) They displaced some of the communities which they came into contact with e.g. the
Oromo pushed the Mijikenda from the Shungwaya region in AD 1500 AND 1600.
b) They intermarried with those people they interacted with e.g. the some of the Pokomo
intermarried with the Borana.
c) Their settlement led to expansion / development of trade between them and their
neighbours e.g. they traded with the Samburu and the Maasai.
d) There was cultural exchange between them and the Bantu and Nilotic neighbours. E.g.
the
Taboo against eating Fish among the Bantu, the age set system and circumcision has
origin from the Cushites.
e) The migrations led to population pressure in the region.
f) Adoption of some agricultural practices from the Bantu.
g) There was redistribution of population in Kenya. The Mijikenda for example were
scattered at Shungwaya.
THE BANTU SPEAKERS
Introduction
The term Bantu refers to group of people who speak the same or similar language with
common word “NTU” which means a person. The Bantu-speaking groups include the
Luhyia, Kisii, Kuria, Kikuyu, Akamba, Meru, Aembu, Taita, Agiryama, Digo in Kenya
and Pokomo, as well as many other smaller groupsTheir original homeland was
somewhere between eastern Nigeria and the Cameroon (Congo Basin).