Bura, Taita-Taveta District, Kenya
Encyclopedia
Bura is a village in the Taita-Taveta District
of Coast Province
in Kenya
, south of Wundanyi
. Bura is located 10 kilometres west of Mwatate
and its approximately 60 miles from the Indian Ocean. Administratively, Bura is a location
in Mwatate division of Taita-Taveta District. The geography of the location is quite diverse) extending from the grassy fields) swamps and acacia forest of the plains) to the dense patches of forest surrounded by semi-terraced farms on the steep hillsides.
Bura Location has seven sub-Iocations each of which includes several villages. Each village is governed locally by a village head. Each sub-Iocation is governed by an appointed Assistant Chief, supervised at the Locationallevel by a Chief. All Chiefs in Taita- Taveta District answer to the District Commissioner who in turn answers to the Provincial Commissioner and finally to the President. Elected officials include councilors at the Locationallevel and Members of Parliament at the Divisional Level
Bura is sister city of Newburyport, Massachusetts
http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/Africa/Kenya.
The most extensively grown agricultural crops are corn and beans. Those who live in the dry lowland areas grow millet, as it is drought resistant and does well in poor soil. Rice is grown in swampy areas. On the cool hillsides, one finds banana groves. Those who are able to irrigate their land produce most of the vegetables grown in the area. These crops include tomato, cabbage and green pepper and they are marketed primarily in Mombasa. Other small-scale crops include cassava, sweet potato, citrus, pea, mango and sugar cane. Most farmers cannot afford farm machinery. They farm with hoes and hands.
In the 1960s and 1970s, tourism began to emerge as Kenya's leading industry. Jomo Kenyatta, the president at that time, generously offered a huge tract of land in this area to a European friend. This became the Taita Hills Wildlife Reserve and the Salt Lick Lodge. Hunting and killing of wild animals was criminalized, but little was done to protect the farmers from the animals. The result is that animals such as elephant and buffalo freely roam the lowlands destroying crops, uprooting fruit trees and endangering lives. The resulting insecurity keeps farmers from undertaking certain activities such as planting trees. It also means that large amounts of labor are required to guard crops, particularly at night.
The 1970s was a period of land demarcation. Private ownership of land became the rule and land was consolidated in order to settle families on individual tracts. Families could no longer depend on small tracts (shambas) in several areas as they had in the past. Consolidation means that a family must now depend on one piece of land to meet its needs. If that piece fails, the family faces hunger. Cooperation between family members has been affected as nuclear families and their private land has replaced extended families managing larger and more diverse pieces of cornrnunal land. Conflicts have arisen as some acquired land in the most productive areas while others were consolidated on their least productive lands. Environmental degradation has increased as people are forced to cultivate on marginal land and destroy areas of particular eco logical importance.
Bura Location has many schools and other institutions. There are ten primary schools, two high schools, a vocational center for the disabled, a polytechnic school and a private teachers' training college. There are plans underway to construct another secondary school in the lower region
in the Tana River District which is also part of the Coast Province.
Taita-Taveta District
Taita Taveta-District is one of the seventy-one districts of Kenya, located in the Coast Province of that country. It lies approximately 200 km northwest of Mombasa and 360 km southeast of Nairobi city....
of Coast Province
Coast Province
Coast Province of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, is one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and is inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among others...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, south of Wundanyi
Wundanyi
Wundanyi is a town lying in the Taita Hills of southern Kenya, west of Voi and near Ngerenyi. It is also the Headquarters of Taita-Taveta District...
. Bura is located 10 kilometres west of Mwatate
Mwatate
Mwatate is a village in Taita-Taveta District in the southern side of the Taita Hills. It is the headquarters of the Mwatate administrative division of the district....
and its approximately 60 miles from the Indian Ocean. Administratively, Bura is a location
Locations of Kenya
||Locations are a type of administrative region in Kenya. Location are a fourth level subdivision below Provinces, Districts and Divisions. Locations are further subdivided into Sub-locations . As of 1999 census there were 2,427 locations and 6,612 sublocations in Kenya .Each division in Kenya is...
in Mwatate division of Taita-Taveta District. The geography of the location is quite diverse) extending from the grassy fields) swamps and acacia forest of the plains) to the dense patches of forest surrounded by semi-terraced farms on the steep hillsides.
Bura Location has seven sub-Iocations each of which includes several villages. Each village is governed locally by a village head. Each sub-Iocation is governed by an appointed Assistant Chief, supervised at the Locationallevel by a Chief. All Chiefs in Taita- Taveta District answer to the District Commissioner who in turn answers to the Provincial Commissioner and finally to the President. Elected officials include councilors at the Locationallevel and Members of Parliament at the Divisional Level
Bura is sister city of Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/Africa/Kenya.
Climate and Agriculture
The climate varies with the altitude. The lowlands are generally hot and dry, while the hills receive more rainfall and cooler temperatures.The most extensively grown agricultural crops are corn and beans. Those who live in the dry lowland areas grow millet, as it is drought resistant and does well in poor soil. Rice is grown in swampy areas. On the cool hillsides, one finds banana groves. Those who are able to irrigate their land produce most of the vegetables grown in the area. These crops include tomato, cabbage and green pepper and they are marketed primarily in Mombasa. Other small-scale crops include cassava, sweet potato, citrus, pea, mango and sugar cane. Most farmers cannot afford farm machinery. They farm with hoes and hands.
The People of Bura and their History
The people of Bura are predominantly of the Taita (Dawida) ethnic group, speaking the Dawida language as their mother tongue. The total number of Taita people in Kenya is estimated to be approximately 250,000 making it one of the smaller ethnic groups in the country. The ancestors of the Bura Taita were said to have migrated from Lewa in Tanzania, in search of land for grazing and cultivation. They settled initially in the hills to grow some crops, while maintaining plots of land in the lower region for others. Family members migrated seasonally to care for the farms and graze livestock. Game meat was plentiful and honey was harvested using traditional methods. There was considerable mobility and it was not unheard of for people to walk as far as Tanzania (approximately 30 miles) to visit friends or trade goods and livestock.Early problems
Several forces have largely destroyed the systems that the Bura people established to meet their needs while caring for their natural surroundings. In the late 1800s, Catholic missionaries came from the coast and confiscated 1000 acres of the best agricultural land. Many farmers moved away from their productive farms in search of land in the dry and bushy lowlands when this happened. Others resisted the Mission, and eventually it returned parts of the land that it had taken. The Mission was most generous with those who converted to Catholicism, urging them to settle on the best pieces of land surrounding the Mission, disregarding original settlers.In the 1960s and 1970s, tourism began to emerge as Kenya's leading industry. Jomo Kenyatta, the president at that time, generously offered a huge tract of land in this area to a European friend. This became the Taita Hills Wildlife Reserve and the Salt Lick Lodge. Hunting and killing of wild animals was criminalized, but little was done to protect the farmers from the animals. The result is that animals such as elephant and buffalo freely roam the lowlands destroying crops, uprooting fruit trees and endangering lives. The resulting insecurity keeps farmers from undertaking certain activities such as planting trees. It also means that large amounts of labor are required to guard crops, particularly at night.
The 1970s was a period of land demarcation. Private ownership of land became the rule and land was consolidated in order to settle families on individual tracts. Families could no longer depend on small tracts (shambas) in several areas as they had in the past. Consolidation means that a family must now depend on one piece of land to meet its needs. If that piece fails, the family faces hunger. Cooperation between family members has been affected as nuclear families and their private land has replaced extended families managing larger and more diverse pieces of cornrnunal land. Conflicts have arisen as some acquired land in the most productive areas while others were consolidated on their least productive lands. Environmental degradation has increased as people are forced to cultivate on marginal land and destroy areas of particular eco logical importance.
Bura Location has many schools and other institutions. There are ten primary schools, two high schools, a vocational center for the disabled, a polytechnic school and a private teachers' training college. There are plans underway to construct another secondary school in the lower region
Infrastructure
There are three health centers in the location including Sagaighu, Bma Station and the Mission. The first two are government operated, while the latter is a private clinic run by the chmch. There is a police base near the Mission, and another outpost at the Chiefs camp. The predominant religion is Catholicism. but the Anglican Chmch has a small following and plans are underway for the construction of an Anglican church.Namesake
It should not be confused with the town of BuraBura, Tana River District, Kenya
Bura is a town in the Tana River District of Coast Province in Kenya.Nearby places include Tula, Hola, and Ijara.Bura has one of the few bridges across the Tana River for access to NE Province, Kenya. There are two Bura Town population clusters, Bura West and Bura East, situated on either side of...
in the Tana River District which is also part of the Coast Province.
External links
- http://www.masskenya.org/bura.htm