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AGREEMENT We, the undersigned, being the Paramount Chief of all the Masai and his regents and the representatives of that portion of the Masai tribe living in the Northern Masai Reserve, as defined in the agreement entered into with the late Sir Donald William Stewart, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, His Majesty's Commissioner for the East Africa Protectorate, on the ninth day of August, one thousand and nine hundred and four, and more particularly set out in the Proclamation of May thirtieth one thousand nine hundred and six and published in the Official Gazette of June first one thousand nine hundred and six, do hereby on our own behalf and on behalf of our people, whose representatives we are, being satisfied that it is to the best interest of their tribe that the Masai people should inhabit one area and should not be divided into two sections as must arise under the agreement aforesaid whereby they were reserved to the Masai tribe two separate and distinct areas of land, enter of our own free will into the following agreement with Sir Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Member of the Distinguished Service Order, Governor and Commander in Chief of the East Africa Protectorate, hereinafter referred to as the Governor. We agree to vacate at such time as the Governor may direct the Northern Masai Reserve which we have hitherto inhabited and occupied and to remove by such routes as the Governor may notify to us our people, herds and flocks to such area on the south side of the Uganda Railway as the Governor may locate to us the said area being bounded approximately as follows and as shown on the attached map.(Not reproduced) On the south by the Anglo-German frontier: On the north by the southern and eastern boundaries of the said land set aside for Mr. E. Powys Cobb, and by a straight line drawn from the north-eastern boundary of the said land to the highest point of Mount Suswas otherwise called Ol-doinyo onyoke; On the east by the southern Masai Native Reserve as defined in the Proclamation dated June eighteenth one thousand nine hundred and six, and published in the Official Gazette of July first one thousand nine hundred and six. Providing that nothing in this agreement contained shall be deemed to deprive the Masai tribe of the rights reserved to it under the agreement of August ninth one thousand nine hundred and four aforesaid to the land on the slopes of Kinopop whereon the circumcision rights and ceremonies may be held. In witness whereof and in confirmation of this agreement which has been fully explained to us we hereby set our marks (finger impressions) against our names as under:-
We, the undersigned, certify that we correctly interpreted this document to the Chief, Regents, and Representatives of the Masai who were present at the meeting at Nairobi.
We the undersigned certify that we have correctly interpreted this document to the Representatives of the Masai at Rumuruti.
In consideration of the above, I, Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Member of the Distinguished Service Order, Governor and Commander in Chief of the East Africa Protectorate, agree on behalf of His Majesty's Government but subject to the approval of His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies to reserve for the exclusive use of the Masai tribe the area on the south side of the Uganda Railway as defined above and as shown on the attached map, which area is coadunate with the Southern Masai Native Reserve and to further extend the existing Southern Masai Native Reserve by an addition of an area of approximately three thousand and one hundred square miles, such area as shown on the accompanying map the approximate boundaries being on the south the Anglo-German Frontier, on the west the eastern boundary of the aforesaid Southern Masai Reserve, on the north and east by the Uganda Railway zone from the Athi River to Sultan Hamud Railway Station thence in a line drawn from the said station to the north-west point of the Chiulu Range thence along the Chiulu Range to the south-eastern extremity thereof thence by a straight line to the meeting point of the Eng-are-Rongai River and the Tsavo Rivers thence by the Eng-are Rongai River to the Anglo-German frontier and to undertake on behalf of His Majesty's Government to endeavour to remove all European settlers from the said areas and not to lease or grant any land within the said areas (except such land as may be required for mining purposes or for any public purpose) without the sanction of the Paramount Chief and the representatives of the Masai tribe. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and official seal this twenty-sixth day of April one thousand nine hundred and eleven.
We, the undersigned were present at a meeting between His Excellency the Governor and the Masai at Nairobi on the fourth day of April one thousand nine hundred and eleven, and we heard this document explained to the Chief and the representatives of the Masai who entered into this agreement of their own free will and with full knowledge of the contents thereof.
Reprinted from East Africa Protectorate, Correspondence Relating to the Masai, Command Paper No. 20360. Received 28 March 1910, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, 1911 Volume LII pp., 719-722. |
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