ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some characteristic features of contemporary Kenyan women’s groups, including group distribution, size, naming system and marital composition, and discusses the nature or pattern of change over time. By the 1940s, the colonial government increasingly turned to the use of indirect rule through existing social structures in order to enhance acceptance of its programmes. In the context of women’s groups, the naming system plays two major roles. Firstly, names are used for identification. Secondly, the particular name used may reflect the base from which group members are drawn. Contemporary women’s groups have roots in the pre-colonial Kikuyu social organization where marriage and reproductive performance were important factors in the mobilization of women for collective action. The dynamics of the Kenyan political system have shaped some of the processes and changes in the groups. The combined administrative and political interests exploit some other elements of the groups.
