Transformation of Kikuyu traditional architecture : case study of homesteads in lower Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri, Kenya

Abstract

This thesis brings together the diverse documentation of Kikuyu traditional architecture written within a span of approximately one hundred years from 1910 to the present. It traces the transformation of Kikuyu traditional architecture from its contact with the forces of civilization to the present. It demonstrates how the transformative forces of the 3Cs ‐ Christianity, Civilization and Commerce that were coined and set in motion by David Livingstone in Africa, impacted and transformed Kikuyu traditional architecture. The thesis also touches on the volatile period of 1952‐58 in Kikuyu history and shows how the events of that period impacted on the transformation of the entire Kikuyu countryside. The thesis argues for a strengthening of interdisciplinality in order to solve better the issues confronting the complex societal needs of a fast developing culture like Kenya.