This paper attempts to map out a socioeconomic worldview of the Muthambi people of Kenya as portrayed in their proverbs using the lenses of Ethnomethodology Theory. The Muthambi people, live in Muthambi and Mitheru Wards of Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya. Although the orature genre has engaged many scholars over a long period of time, the branch of paremiology; which refers to the study of proverbs that is associated with Archer Taylor (1890-1973), one of America's foremost specialist in America and European folklore, has not been exhaustively studied. This emanates from the fact that proverbs belong to the realm of language which is a vehicle of a people's culture. The Muthambi people's proverbs have been given little or no attention by earlier scholars. This paper is anchored on Ethnomethodology theory as propounded by Garfinkel (1967). Ethnomethodology theory postulates that members of a society create knowledge due to interaction with their environment to give meaning to life. In this paper, a total of 90 proverbs that were collected from the field as used in various contexts have been classified thematically according to 9 selected socioeconomic areas, on the worldview of the Muthambi people. A descriptive analysis of the proverbs has been done in prose form. The findings of this study indicate that proverbs of the Muthambi people embody their socioeconomic worldview. This validates the ethnomethodology approach that societies in general and the Muthambi one in particular, encapsulate their intangible cultural heritage and their socioeconomic worldview in their proverbs.

Fasihi ni chombo na nyenzo muhimu katika kuikosoa, kuikomboa na kuielekeza jamii yoyote iwayo. Katika Afrika Mashariki, waandishi wa fasihi wameitumia sanaa hiyo pamoja na uanaharakati wao kuikosoa na kuikomboa jamii, miongoni mwa mengine. Ngugi wa Thiong’o ni miongoni mwa waandishi wanaotumia fasihi kukemea maovu katika jamii hasa utawala mbaya na kushindwa kwa serikali kutatua matatizo yanayoikabili jamii. Katika riwaya yake ya Matigari, Ngugi anakemea uporaji wa ardhi uliotekelezwa katika vipindi vya utawala wa serikali za marais Jomo Kenyatta na Daniel Arap Moi, wizi wa pesa za umma, na umaskini uliokithiri nchini Kenya. Matigari ilipigwa marufuku na serikali naye Ngugi wa Thiong’o akakimbilia uhamishoni Marekani mnamo miaka ya 1980. Waandishi wengine waliojikuta matatani kwa sababu ya maandishi na uanaharakati wao wa kisiasa ni pamoja na Abdilatif Abdallah (Kenya Twendapi?), Katama Mkangi (Walenisi), na Alamin Mazrui (Kilio cha Haki). Katika udhibiti wa kidini, riwaya ya Rosa Mistika (Euphrase Kezilahabi), kwa mfano, iliwahi kupigwa marufuku nchini Tanzania kwa madai kwamba ilikuwa ‘chafu’ na hivyo basi kupotosha maadili ya jamii. Lengo la makala haya ni kujadili mbinu na aina za udhibiti wa fasihi andishi ambazo aghalabu hutumiwa na wachapishaji na vyombo vya dola. Aidha, makala yanatathmini athari za sera ya udhibiti kwa waandishi binafsi na maoni yao kuhusu udhibiti na jinsi ya kuikwepa sera hiyo kandamizi.