A History of Gilgil Town; From a Military Camp to a Modern Urban Area, 1897-2014

Abstract

This study examines the journey Gilgil town has gone through since its origin. Gilgil town is situated in Nakuru County. The town has the largest number of security establishments in the County. Gilgil town began as a temporally camp for an Indian military contingent in 1897. Since then of security personnel in the town has continued to grow especially with establishment of permanent military barracks and other security bases. The objective of the study is to outlining the historical development of Gilgil town from 1897 to 2014; examining the contribution of security bases to the development of Gilgil town; and analyzing other factors that have accounted for the development of Gilgil town. To achieve this historical research design was used to evaluate and analyze data obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data for this study was sought from the Kenya National Archives. This was complemented by data gathered from oral interviews with various relevant respondents, including; local administrators, civic and political leaders, business people, security personnel, employees of factories and local conservancies, as well as other residents. The informants were identified through purposive sampling, especially the snowball technique. Secondary data was obtained from books, journal articles, newspapers articles, theses/dissertations, conference papers, and internet material relating to urbanisation, and historical development of Gilgil town. The study employed modernisation and William Dean’s theories to evaluate the development of the town. The modernization perspective analyses transformation from traditional to modem societies. William Dean's theory on the other hand, views the development of commercial centres anywhere as a function of trade routes, location and nodality. In general, the study examined the pre­colonial Gilgil area, highlighting the original inhabitants of the area. It also looked at the establishment of security bases. The study endeavoured to find out how security establishments played a central role in the development of the town. In addition, the study development of Gilgil town in the early 1990s, outlining factors responsible for the rapid growth. Three analytical frames are used to analyse the collected data. These are theoretical reflection, documentary review and content analysis. The study established that though a number of factors influence the development of Gilgil Town, the presence of security establishments the town play the central role. The study present new knowledge and contributes to the existing literature on Kenya's urban historiography. The findings of the study are also important to development agencies and policy makers both at County and National levels.