GRADE 6 SOCIAL STUDIES NOTES

People, Population and Social Organisations

- Population is the number of people living in an area.

- People in Eastern Africa are grouped according to their languages.

- A group of people who speak almost a similar language is called a

language group.

- There are four main language groups in Eastern Africa. They include

the following;

 The Bantus - the largest

 The Nilotes

 The Cushites

 The Semites

A. The Bantus

- The Bantus migrated from Congo forest.

- They were cultivators.

- The Bantu communities found in Eastern Africa are:

 KENYA:- Abaluhya, Abagusii, Abakuria, Agikuyu, Ameru,

Aembu, Mbeere, Akamba, Taita, Pokomo, Mijikenda

  UGANDA:- Baganda, Banyankole, Basoga, Bagisu, Batoro,

Banyoro

 TANZANIA:- Chagga, Sukuma, Gogo, Hehe, Ngoni, Yao, Ha,

Makonde, Zaramo, Wapare, Wafipa, Nyamwezi

Reasons for the migration of Bantus to Eastern Africa

1. Search for fertile land

2. Population increase and pressure

3. Outbreak of diseases

4. Drought and famine

5. Internal Disputes

6. Attacks from the hostile neighbours.

B. The Nilotes

- The Nilotes migrated from Southern Sudan.

- The Nilotes are divided into three'

 Highland Nilotes

 Plain Nilotes
  River-lake Nilotes

- Nilotes found in Eastern Africa are;

a) Kenya

 Highland Nilotes:- Kipsigis, Nandi, Tugen, Keiyo, Pokot, Bok,

Bongomek, Sabaot, Terik, Ogiek, Marakwet

 River lake Nilotes:- Luo

 Plain Nilotes:- Samburu, Maasai, Iteso, Njemps, Turkana

b) Uganda

 Highland Nilotes:- Sebei

 River lake Nilotes:- Alur, Lugbara, Lango, Jopadhola, Acholi

 Plain Nilotes:- Karamajong, Jie, Iteso

c) Tanzania

 Highland Nilotes:- Dadoga

 Plain Nilotes:- Maasai

d) South Sudan

 River lake Nilotes:- Dinka, Nuer, Anuak, Ajur, Chilluk

Reasons for the migration of Nilotes

 1. Search for water and pasture (main)

2. Attacks by diseases both for their livestock and people

3. Internal disputes

4. Outbreak of drought and famine

5. Attacks from the hostile neighbours

C. Cushites

- The cushites entered Eastern Africa from the Horn of Africa.

- They are nomadic pastoralists.

- They are divided into two;

 The Eastern Cushites

 The Southern Cushites

Eastern Cushites include:-

 Somali, Gabbra, Borana, Burji, Oromo, Orma, Rendile, Afar

Southern Cushites are:-

 Dahalo, Sanye, Hawa, Mbugu, Aramanik, Iraqw, Burungu

Reasons for the migration of Cushites

1. Search for water and pasture

2. Attacks from hostile neighbours

3. Outbreak of diseases

D. Semites

- Semites in Eastern Africa originated from South Arabia, others

from Asian countries.

- Semites mainly moved into Eastern Africa to trade.

- Examples of Semites are:- Amharas, Tigerians, Arabs, Nubian,

Farasha

Population distribution in Eastern Africa

- Population distribution is the way the population is spread out in a

given area.

- Population distribution is influenced by the following factors.

1. Climate:- this is the main factor that determine population

distribution.

2. Soils:- Fertile soils attract more people, infertile soil discourage

human settlement.

3. Relief:- Plains and gentle slopes encourage human settlement

while steep slopes and depressions discourage.

4. Vegetation:- Natural vegetation such as grass encourages

pastoralists to settle in that area.

5. Presence of water and drainage:- Presence of water encourages

human settlement while poor drainage discourages.

6. Economic activities:- Mining activities, industries, plantations,

ranches, trading activities attract many people.

Effects of high population distribution

1. Shortage of enough social services such as hospitals, schools, water

supply.
2. Availability of cheap labour.

3. Availability of market for goods produced.

4. Scarcity of land.

Effects of low population density

1. Lack of market for goods produced.

2. Lack of labour.

3. Unutilized resources like schools, hospitals, water.

Culture and Social Organization

- Culture is the way of life of a people.

- Aspects of culture are the elements or things that make up culture.

- Aspects of culture include;

 The way people dress

 The food they eat

 Initiation rites

 Traditional songs and dances

 Traditional education
  Burials and funerals

Age groups and age sets

- An age group is a group of young people who were born almost at the

same time.

- Two or more age groups form an age set.

- Members of the same age set regarded each other like brothers.

- They did not marry each other's sisters.

- They helped one another during difficult times.

- Married women belonged to the age-set of their husbands.

Clan

- A clan is a group of people who share a common ancestor.

- Clan members respected each other.

- They did marry each other.

Functions of a clan

1. Settling disputes among clan members.

2. Protecting its members from external attacks.

3. Allocating land to clan members.

4. Planning and conducting marriage and initiation ceremonies.

5. Educating the youth to become responsible members of the society.

School and Community

Role of school to community

- The school employs members of the community to support staff.

- The school gives school facilities such as furniture, field, halls.

- The school educates children from the community to become

responsible members of the community.

- The school promotes culture of the community through games, sports,

music and drama festivals.

- The school provides facilities to the community like school bus.

Role of the community to the school

- The community donates land where the school is built.

- The community provides workers to the school.

- The community provides children to the school.

- The community helps the school in contributing to its physical

development.

Political Systems and Governance

Traditional forms of government in Eastern

Africa

A. Traditional form of government of the Buganda kingdom

- Buganda kingdom was located to the North West of L.Victoria and

South West of L.Kyoga.

- It had its capital at Mengo in present day Kampala.

- It was ruled by hereditary kings whose title was Kabaka.

- It had a centralized government headed by a king.

- Leadership was hereditary i.e from father to son.

- Kabaka's symbol of office was royal fire, royal drums,

shield and stool.

- The kingdom had a parliament called Lukiiko.

- The king was helped by some officials that include;

 Katikiro - Prime Minister

 Omulamuzi - Chief Justice

  Omwanika - Treasurer or Finance Minister

- The king was also assisted by a council of elders called Bataka

- The king was called Ssebataka meaning head of Bataka.

- The king as the Commander-in-Chief was assisted by Muyasi the

army Commander and Gabuya as the Navy Commander.

- To make administration easier the kindgom was divided into the

following units;

 Counties(Districts) - Ssaza chiefs

 Sub-Counties(Gombolola) - Gombolola Chiefs

 Vitongole - Batangole

 Villages - Muruka

B. Traditional form of government of the Nyamwezi

- The Nyamwezi people are Bantus in Central Tanzania.

- They are believed to have come from the west (the direction of the

moon) where they got their name "Nyamwezi" people of the moon.

- Before the coming of Europeans, they were ruled by chiefs

called Ntemi or Mutemi.

- Several villages put together, formed Gunguli headed by Ntemi or

Mutemi.

- Ntemi was helped by a council of elders called Wanyamphala.

- Ntemi was also assisted by other officials like;

 Minule - Tax collector

 Mganwe - Ritual leader

 Wanyikulu - Religious official

 Kikoma - Information Officer

 Mtwale - Army officer

Similarities between the Buganda and Nyamwezi traditional

forms of government

- In both leadership was hereditary.

- In both power was controlled under the head leader.

- Both Kabaka of Buganda and Ntemi of Nyamwezi controlled trade.

- In both the head leader was the Commander-in-chief of the Army.

Differences between the Buganda and Nyamwezi traditional

forms of government

- Buganda was ruled by hereditary king while Nyamwezi was ruled by

hereditary chiefs.

- Buganda was a kingdom while Nyamwezi was a Chiefdom.

Aspects of good governance in traditional societies

- Good governance means good qualities in leadership that lead to good

results.

- Some of the aspects of good governance include;

1. Using community resources well without misusing.

2. Setting good example through moral behaviour.

3. Observing the laws of the society.

4. Respecting other people's views and opinions.

5. Promoting dialogue in decision making.

Regional Co-operations in Eastern Africa

- The East African Community was formed in 1967.

- Initially, its members were Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

- The presidents of the three countries came together to form the

organization.

- It had its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

- In 1977, the EAC collapsed due to political differences between the

three countries.

- The EAC was revived in 1988 as East African Cooperation.

- In 2001 it changed its name to East African Community as the

original one, with the headquarters remaining in Arusha.

- As of today, the members at the moment included;- Kenya, Uganda,

Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Democratic Republic

of Congo.

Objectives of the East African Community (EAC)

- Promote research, science and technology.

- Promote trade among member states.

- Establish a common market.

- Improve infrastructure in the member states.

- Allow the movement of people and goods.

Benefits of the East African Community to member states

- Has allowed free movement of people and goods.

- Has increased trading activities among the member states.

- Has helped in the improvement of infrastructure.

- Has created common market for goods produced in the region.

Challenges the East African Community

- Production of similar goods especially agricultural products.

- Lack of common currency.

- Lack of good will by the leaders.

- Poor means of transport and communication in some countries.

- Political instability in some countries hinders smooth co-operation.

Solutions to challenges facing the East African Community

- Lowering tariffs and taxes.

- Members to diversify the goods of trade.

- Solving political differences to create political stability.

- Allowing free movement of goods and people.

Resources and Economic Activities in Eastern Africa

A. Large Scale Crop Farming In East Africa

- Farming is the growing of crops and keeping of livestock.

- Large scale farming is the growing of crops and keeping of livestock

in large estates.

- Large scale farming is also called large commercial farming.

Characteristics of large scale farming

1. Crops are grown in large estates called plantations.

2. One type of crop is grown in large estates.

3. Crops are grown for sale or for commercial purposes.

 4. Some large scale farming requires use of machines like

sugarcane, wheat and maize.

5. Chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers are used.

6. It requires large capital to operate.

Contributions and Benefits of Large Scale Farming

- Creates job opportunities to many people.

- Products from large scale farming are exported and earn the country

foreign exchange.

- It is a source of income to the farmers.

- It earns the country domestic revenue through taxes.

- Some of the crops are sources of food. This creates food security.

Different crops are grown in large scale in the following countries

i. Sugarcane - Sudan

ii. Coffee - Kenya and Ethiopia

iii. Tea - Kenya

iv. Wheat - Kenya

v. Maize - Kenya and Tanzania

vi. Sisal - Kenya and Tanzania

B. Beef farming in Eastern Africa

- Beef farming is the keeping or rearing of cattle for meat or beef

production.

- Beef cattle includes; Abadeen Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Zebu,

Boran.

- Beef farming can be influenced by;

1. Presence of large grazing land:- Beef farming requires large

land.

2. Absence of tsetseflies and other pests.

3. Availability of pasture

4. Flat land which enables easy movement of cattle while grazing.

5. Favourable climatic conditions:- Moderate rainfall that can

enable grass to grow.

Contributions of beef farming to the economy of Eastern

Africa

- Beef farming provides beef as food.

- Creates job opportunities to many people.

- It is a source of income for many people.

- Earns the country foreign exchange.

- It is a source of revenue to the government through taxes.

- Has led to the improvement of transport and communication.

Challenges facing beef farming in Easern Africa

- Lack of water and pasture due to prolonged drought.

- Attacks by pests and diseases.

- Lack of capital to purchase the modern facilities.

- Cattle rustling.

- Overstocking.

- Poor means of transport and communication.

- Lack of veterinarian services.

Possible solutions to challenges facing beef farming in Eastern

Africa

- Drilling boreholes and digging wells to provide water.

- Investing more capital or money in beef farming.

- Providing veterinary services.

- Establishing more slaughter houses.

- Reducing the number of stock to solve the problem of overstocking.

- Improving the quality of livestock through cross breeding.

C. Fishing in Eastern Africa

- Fishing is the activity of harvesting fish from water.

- An area where fishing is done is called a fishing groung.

- There are two types of fishing grounds;

 i. Inland fishing ground - Involves fresh lakes, rivers, dams, fish

ponds and swamps.

ii. Marine fishing ground - Where fish is harvested from sea or

ocean.

- In inland fishing grounds, fish caught are;

Tilapia, Trout, Nile Perch, Dagaa/Omena, Cat fish, Black bass,

Salmon

- In marine fishing grounds, the fish caught are;

Parrot fish, Mullet, King fish, Tuna, Lobsters, Oysters, Crabs, Pawns

- Fishing methods used in marine fishing include;

 Purse seining

 Trawling

 Long lining

 Net drifting/ Gill net

Challenges facing fishing in Eastern Africa

- Oil spillage in the sea.

- Lack of adequate facilities such as fishing and storage facilities.

- Use of harmful chemicals.

- Lack of adequate capital.

- Pollution of rivers and lakes resulting into death of fish.

- Overfishing in some fishing grounds.

D. Wildlife and Tourism in Eastern Africa

- Tourism is the activity of travelling for leisure and pleasure to places

of interest.

- Wildlife refers to wild animals, plants and birds in their natural

habitat.

Factors that promote tourism in Eastern Africa

1. Peace and security.

2. Good means of transport and communication.

3. Standard hotel and accommodation.

4. Availability of variety of tourist attractions such as wildlife, natural

sceneries, historical sites and cultural activities.

5. Support from the government through funds and training of

personnel.

Challenges facing tourism in Eastern Africa

1. High level of poverty.

2. Poor means of transport and communication in some countries.

3. High charges and fees discourage local tourists.

4. Competition from well developed countries.

5. Insecurity and terrorism that scare tourists away.

Transport in Eastern Africa

- Transport is the movement of goods and people from one place to

another.

- Some of the forms of transport include; road, water, air, railway,

pipeline and cable.

- Road transport is the most common form of transport in Eastern

Africa.

A. Road Transport

- In road transport people and goods are transported using vehicles,

motorbikes, bicycles and carts.

- There are two major highways in Eastern Africa.

1. The Trans-African Highway;- Starts from Mombasa in Kenya

passes through Uganda, Rwanda, DRC Congo, Cameroon and ends

in Lagos in Nigeria.

2. The Great North Road;- Starts from Cape Town in South Africa

to Cairo in Egypt. It crosses Tnazania, South Sudan and Sudan.

Challenges facing Road Transport in Eastern Africa

1. Insecurity.

2. Road accidents

3. High cost of construction

4. Bad weather
B. Railway transport

- This is the movement of people and goods using the railway.

- It is used in transporting bulky goods on land.

- All countries in Eastern Africa have a railway line except Somalia.

Challenges facing Railway Transport in Eastern Africa

1. High cost of construction

2. Different gauges

3. Insecurity

C. Air transport

- Air transport involves use of airplanes. They are used to transport

people and goods.

- It is the fastest.
- It is used to transport perishable goods.

- It operates on a strict timetable.

Challenges facing Air Transport in Eastern Africa

1. Bad weather

2. High cost of aircrafts

3. It is expensive

D. Pipeline transport

- Pipeline transport has been used in transporting water from one place

to another.

- Recently pipelines have been used to transport oil and petroleum in

Eastern Africa.

- The main pipelines in Eastern Africa are;-

1. Kenya pipeline - Runs from Mombasa to Nairobi then to

Kisumu and Eldoret.

2. The Greator Nile Oil pipeline in Sudan.

 3. The Gas Pipeline from Ethiopia to Djibouti.

4. The Crude Oil Pipeline from Uganda to Tanzania.

5. The Oil Pipeline from Lamu in Kenya to South Sudan.

Challenges facing Pipeline Transport in Eastern Africa

1. Expensive to build and maintain

2. Oil spillage

3. Oil siphoning(stealing)

E. Water Transport Network in Eastern Africa

- Water transport is used to transport people and goods to other

countries and from other countries to Kenya.

- Water transport is divided into two:-

(i) Marine water transport

(ii) Inland water transport

- The main marine water transport in Eastern Africa is the Indian

Ocean.

- The main sea ports are:-

 Kenya;- Mombasa

 Tanzania;- Dar es Salaam

 Sudan;- Port Sudan along the Red sea

 Eritrea;- Port Massawa along the Red sea

 Djibouti;- Djibouti

 Somalia;- Mogadishu

- The main inland water transport in Eastern Africa is L.Victoria.

Challenges facing Water Transport in Eastern Africa

1. Piracy

2. Bad weather(storms)

3. Accidents
F. Cable Transport

- It is used in transporting electricity.

- It is the fastest means of transport.

Solutions to challenges facing transport networks in Eastern

Africa

1. Encouraging walking in short distances instead of using vehicles.

2. Building of By-passes to decongest major roads.

3. Expanding roads to accommodate more vehicles.

Communication in Eastern Africa

- The common means of communication in Eastern Africa

are; Electronic and printed.

- Electronic means include; Mobile phones, internet,

radio and television.

- Printed means include; Newspapers, magazines, journals and

letters.
Challenges facing communication networks in Eastern Africa

- Lack of capital to buy modern equipment.

- Poor network coverage.

- Power black outs.

- Illiteracy.

- Lack of technical skills.

- Bad weather.

Solutions to challenges facing communication networks in

Eastern Africa

- Improving security.

- Improving electricity and internet network coverage.

- Allocating more funds in communication.

- Teaching communication skills in schools.

Mining in Eastern Africa

A. Soda Ash Mining in Kenya

- Soda ash occurs naturally in rocks called Trona.

- Trona is found in L.Magadi in Kajiado County in Kenya.

- A floating machine called a dredger is used to mine Trona from the

lake.

- This method of mining is called dredging.

- Trona is crushed and mixed with water forming a solution

called slurry.

- It is then pumped to the nearby factory where the impurities are

separated.

- Soda ash is obtained and packed in various sizes.

B. Gold Mining in Tanzania

- Gold is mined in Bulyanhulu in Shinyanga region of North Western

Tanzania.

- The rocks containing gold are called reefs.

- Gold in Tanzania is mined through a method called shaft.

- The miners use excavators to remove the upper part of the mines.

- They dig shafts into the ground along the veins, sometimes they use

small explosives to remove the gold bearing rocks (reefs).

C. Limestone Mining in Uganda

- Limestone is mined in Itima and Tororo in Uganda.

- Limestone is mined through quarrying and opencast.

- The miners use Bulldozers.

- The limestone is packed in lorries and taken to the cement factories

nearby.

Effects of mining on the environment in Eastern Africa

1. Open mines log water that harbors pests that causes diseases like

malaria and water borne diseases.

2. Leads to land degradation.

3. Causes water pollution.

5. Causes air pollution.

Solutions to problems associated with mining

1. Planting grass.

2. Levelling the holes left behind by the miners.

3. Planting trees where mining has taken place.

The Government of Kenya

Sources of Government Revenue and

Expenditure

- A source is a point where something comes from.

- Revenue is income or money for the government.

- Expenditure is the way the money or revenue obtained is used.

- There are two levels of Government in Kenya; National

Government and County Government.

National and County Government Revenue

- The two levels of Government get revenue in different ways.

A. National Government gets revenue in the following ways:

 Taxes
  Loans and grants

 Fees from major national facilities

 Rent from national houses and buildings

 Profits from parastatals

 Court fines

 Sale of treasury bonds and bills.

B. The county Governments get their revenue through:

 Special taxes called cess or levy.

 Parking fees.

 Grants from the National Government.

 Selling of trade licenses.

 Loans from financial institutions.

 Rents from County houses and buildings.

National and County Government Expenditure

A. The National Government spend their revenue in the following

ways:

 Building of roads, hospitals, schools, dams, bridges, airports and

seaports.

 Paying salaries to civil servants.

 Paying bills of water and electricity.

B. The County Governments spend their revenue in the following

ways:

 Providing water, electricity and sewerage services.

 Paying salaries of County workers.

 Building rural roads.

 Building markets.

Citizenship
- Citizenship is the state of legally belonging to a particular country.

- A citizen is a person who legally belongs to a particular country.

- One can be a citizen by birth, registration or dualism.

- The documents needed for identification are birth certificate,

identification card and passport.

- Citizens have rights and responsibilities.

Rights of a Kenyan Citizen

1. Right to life.

2. Right to security.

3. Right to own property.

4. Right to justice.

5. Right to food, shelter and clothing.

 6. Right to work.

7. Right to education.

8. Right to vote.

9. Right of expression.

10. Right of movement.

11. Right of worship.

12. Freedom of association.

Responsibilities of a Kenyan Citizen

- Respecting people and their property.

- Obeying the laws of the country.

- Conserving the environment.

- Paying taxes.

- Helping the needy people in the society.

- Reporting suspected criminals.

- Values of a good Kenyan citizen include;

Loyalty, truthfulness, honesty, respect, patriotism,obedience,

responsible, fairness and justice.

- Patriotism is the love for one's country and putting the country's

interest before your own.

- One can demonstrate patriotism through;

 paying taxes.

 Promoting peace.

 Not revealing the secrets of the country.

 Obeying the laws of the country.

  Respecting the leaders of your country.

 Attending national celebrations like Madaraka day and Mashujaa

day.

Human Rights
- Human rights are things that human beings are entitled to.

- They are classified into three groups.

1. Political Rights

These include:

 Right to life.

 Freedom of worship.

 Right to fair trial.

 Right to vote.

 Right to equality.

 Freedom of movement.

 Freedom of speech.

 Freedom of association.
2. Social Rights

They include:

 Right to privacy.

 Right to education.

 Right to health care.

 Right to food.

 Right to clean water.

 Right to clean environment.

 Right to recreation.

 Right to leisure.

 Right to marry and raise a family.

 Right to proper shelter.

3. Economic Rights

They include:

 Right to work.

 Right to trade.

 Right to own property.

  Right to fair wages.

 Right to belong to workers' union.

Human rights are violated or abused through the following

ways

- Rape or defilement.

- Child labour.

- Discrimination.

- Cyber bullying.

- Outlawed and outdated cultural practices like female genital

mutilation(FMG) and early pregnancies.

- Mob justice.

- Illegal arrest without trial.

- Denying children opportunity to go to school.

Demonstrating respect for human rights in Kenya

- Applying the laws equally.

- Allowing children to access education.

- Respecting other people's opinion.

- Teaching people through public awareness on their rights.

- Condemning and banning all outdated cultural activities.

Peace and Conflict Resolution

- Peace is the state of having no war, conflict or hatred in a society.

- Conflict is disagreement between two or more people or groups.

- Conflict resolution is a peaceful way of solving or settling a

conflict.

- These ways include;-

 Dialogue: Involves the two sides that had a conflict coming

together, discussing the matter and forgiving each other.

  Using an arbitrator: An arbitrator is a person who helps in

resolving a conflict. He listens to both parties and gives his/her

solution. This process is called arbitration.

 Using a mediator: A mediator helps by listening and giving

recommendations that can help in resolving the conflict. This

process is called mediation.

 Through reconciling: This is where you dialogue to each other

and forgive each other.

Benefits of Resolving Conflicts Peacefully in a Society

- Creates good relations among the people, societies and countries.

- Investors come to do business without fear of insecurity.

- People are free to move from one place to another without fear.

- Encourages foreign tourism. They travel without fear.