Meru people

Ameru

Total population
2,200,000
Regions with significant populations
Kenya
Meru County 1,356,301 Tharaka Nithi 365,330 Nairobi 200,000 Isiolo 80,000 Others 198,369
Languages
Kimîîru
Religion
African Traditional Religion [1] Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Kikuyu, Embu, Swahili People, Akamba

The Meru people, or Ameru, are a Bantu ethnic group who mainly inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. They speak Kimîîru language.^[2]

The Meru people of Kenya should not be mistaken with the Meru of neighboring Tanzania, or Wameru.

Location

The Meru are a community living on the fertile agricultural north and eastern slope of Mount Kenya, in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. The name "Meru" refers to both the people and the location, as for many years there was only one geo-political district for the Meru people which originated from the colonial land unit. This changed in 1992, when the district was divided into three: Meru, Nyambene, and Tharaka-Nithi.More districts have been created since then as of May 2009 the Meru region consisted of twelve (12) districts. In all the Meru region consists of approximately 13000km² stretching from River Thuci in the South which is the traditional boundary between the Meru and Embu people to Isiolo district in the north. However the northern border is not as clearly defined as the southern border . The Kenyan Ameru are unrelated to the Meru people in north Tanzania, other than that they are both Bantu-speaking. The Meru are primarily agrarian, with some animals kept mainly in the northern part of the region. Their home life and culture is similar to other Highland Bantus. The Tharaka live in the dry desert area, a much harsher life than most Meru. they also live in other parts of Kenya.

Meru people are divided into seven sections; namely, the Igoji, Imenti, Tigania, Miutuni, Igembe, Mwimbi and Muthambi, Chuka and Tharaka

The Meru were traditionally governed by elected and hierarchical councils of elders from the clan level right up to the supreme Njuri Ncheke council that governed all the seven sections. The council is the only traditional judicial system recognized by the Kenyan state and is still powerful when it comes to political decision making amongst the Meru.

The Tanzanian Wameru settled in the forest on the south eastern slopes of Mount Meru.

History

Meru of Kenya say that, before they settled in their present land, they had came from the North, ruteere rwa urio. This correlates with the oral history of other closely related groups such as the Kikuyu, Kamba and Embu who may have come from the north or south following the Bantu expansion from Central Africa.

Meru of Tanzania, or Wameru people, have shared the slopes of Mount Meru with the Waarusha people for about 300 years. Wameru came first. They were established on the slopes of Mount Meru before Waarusha arrived in the 1830s. Waarusha and Wameru cleared and settled most of the south eastern slopes of Mount Meru. In the 1880s, a series of disasters swept across northern Tanzania, driving the Maasai into the slopes of Mount Meru.

Culture

Education

Meru have had a strong educational foundation provided by Christian mission schools and are among the most influential ethnic groups in Kenya. The main education institutions were started or sponsored by churches notably Catholic, Methodist (the dominant church in the region) and Presbyterian.One of Kenya's new gems in the education sector, Kenya Methodist University (KEMU) was awarded its Charter on June 28, 2006 by His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki. The coming of KEMU in Meru was a long process in educational planning and development. The Kenya Methodist University came as a logical step toward educational excellence as the focus of the Church in pursuance of its holistic Gospel. However, the University was not established as an isolated project.At least two institutions namely; Kaaga Rural Training Centre and Methodist Training Institute consecutively formed the basic foundation, in form of physical and other infrastructure in the establishment of Kenya Methodist University. in addition, this area has numerous centres of learning that include primary and secondary schools, some of which are among the best in the country. The Kenyan Government have come in to complement the areas education endeavours with the establishment of Chuka University.The generous Presbyterian Church donated the 45 acres (180,000 m²) of land where the University seats which initially hosted Ndagani primary, Secondary and a Rural polytechnic. Since the new development many private institutions are coming up and the Ndagani area is set to be the Educational centre of the Meru people.

Languages

The Bantu Meru, Embu and Kikuyu are understandable to one another, with some differences; nevertheless they are mutually intelligible and can be used across the groups. The Meru speak at least seven different dialects with the southern dialects being very close to Kikuyu and the Northern dialects showing some Cushitic tendencies, but the Bible translation being used is in the Imenti dialect. The differences in the dialects reflect the varied Bantu origins and influences from Cushite and Nilotic, as well as different Bantu, neighbors. As a whole Meru exhibits much older Bantu characteristics in grammar and phonetic forms than the neighboring languages.

Family traditions

In traditional rural areas the Meru have fairly strict circumcision customs that affect all of life. From the time of circumcision, boys no longer have contact with their mother. A separate house is built for the sons. This does vary to some degree depending on the level of urban influence, but is still practiced in some parts of Meru region. Traditionally, girls would also undergo circumcision, but this practice has been abandoned.

Politics and tribal alliances

In the past the Meru were in a coalition with the Embu and Kikuyu which yielded some political power. The coalition, called G.e.m.a. (Gikuyu-Embu-Meru Association), is not as strong as it once was, but the Meru typically voted with the opposition after the advent of multipartism. This has since changed with the defeat of KANU in the 2002 general elections that saw a number of Meru leaders in the government of NARC. This does vary from location to location, but would generally hold true. Developments under the multi-party experiment since 1992 have renewed an informal political alliance between GEMA peoples and much of the Kikuyu community.

List of prominent Merus

• Field marshal Musa Mwariama, Mau Mau
• Janet Mathiu, Director of Nursing Services - The Nairobi Hospital, Kenya
• Prof. Leah Marangu, Vice Chancellor, African Nazarene University, first woman professor in Kenya
• Hon. Justice (Rtd) Aaron Ringera, Director Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) (Resigned on 30-09-2009)
• Bernard Mate Legco representative for Central Province Kenya
• Francis Muthaura, Head of Public Service & Secretary of the Cabinet, Kenya.
• Edward H Ntalami, Chief Executive, Capital Markets Authority, Kenya.
• David Mwiraria, former Finance Minister,
• Kiraitu Murungi, Minister of Energy, Kenya.
• Kilemi Mwiria, assistant Minister for Education, Kenya.
• Gitobu Imanyara, Member of Parliament and civil rights advocate
• Major General (rtd) Eustace Kajogi Njeru- first meru military general
• Guantai Mbui A prominent politician from Kiirua

Notes

External links

• Stories and myths of origin of Kenyan peoples
• The Meru of Kenya -- Cultural Profile
• About Meru History
• Higher education in Meru
• History of the Meru
• History and culture of the Meru