# Kipande

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{{Short description|Former identity document in Kenya}}
thumb|The case for a kipande with the chain by which it was hung around the neck.
The '''''kipande''''' was an identity document during the British-ruled [Kenya Colony](/source/Kenya_Colony) and featured basic personal details, [fingerprints](/source/fingerprints) and an employment history.

The [Native Registration Amendment Ordinance](/source/Native_Registration_Amendment_Ordinance) of 1920 made it compulsory for African males above the age of 15 to wear it at all times around their necks. The effect of its adoption was to restrict the mobility of Africans radically. The main intent of the policy was supposedly to keep track of the labour pool efficiently.<ref>Anderson 2000, pp. 464</ref>

The ''kipande'' caused much resentment as all African males were required to wear it at all times around their necks.<ref>Maxon & Ofcansky 2000, pp. 136</ref>

The word "Kipande" is also part of some placenames in Kenya.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} 

== History==
The Kipande was implemented in Kenya in 1919 as a method of labor force control. It was required to have on one’s person and if not presented when asked one could be arrested for vagrancy. Only Africans were forced to have Kipandes. White settlers were not subject to this control. The Kipande restricted movement and employment of the indigenous populations of Kenya until its abolishment in 1947. Severe African unrest and colonial tension led to the abandonment of the system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kipande (1919-1947): A Symbol of Colonial Control and Oppression in Kenya |url=https://alkags.me/kipande/ |access-date=2026-05-13 |website=Al Kags |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [Pass law](/source/Pass_law)s in South Africa

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*David Anderson (2000), "Master and Servant in Colonial Kenya", ''[Journal of African History](/source/Journal_of_African_History)'', 41:459-485.
*Maxon & Ofcansky (2000), ''Historical Dictionary of Kenya''.

{{Kenya-hist-stub}}
Category:Legal history of Kenya
Category:East Africa Protectorate
Category:Identity documents
{{British-Empire-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kipande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipande) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipande?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.