Colonization of Kenya: A Case Study
By: Anna and Shanti Who had the right to land in Kenya and why? General History
- The start of colonizing Kenya starting during the 1885 Berlin Conference, with the British in control. - - The white settlers were in charge of the Kenyan government until their
independence. - - The British brought in a lot of people from India and other parts of Asia to build the Kenya Uganda Railway Line, and after working many stayed. Stolen Land Slavery
European Perspective
Controlling the Revolt Stolen Land
- British settlers invaded Keyna and stole all the land.
- The British took over 12,000 square miles for their small group of only 30,000 settlers, while leaving only 2,000 square miles for the 1 million displaced Kikuyu people. Kenyan Slaves
- The British took most of the fertile farming land.
- They were in charge of employment and essentially made the Kenyans
agricultural labors, or in other words, slaves.
- By 1953, over half of the Kikuyu people had no claim over their own ancestral lands. Controlling the Revolt
- The Mau Mau revolt became a lot stronger than the British thought.
- In an attempt to control it, they arrested over 8,000 people.
- They thought the arrests would slow down the movement, but instead it intensified. Why Kenya?
- The British originally wanted to use Kenya as an easier way to reach Uganda - Their plan was to make a railroad that went through Kenya to go to Uganda - They had an increase of slavery during their first years ruling Kenya, and
even after it was abolished, problems still existed like segregation, the way
people were treated, the way the government worked, etc. - They forced taxes, made wage cuts, and convinced people to join the army - Kenya became the main location for trade for Asia and the Middle East The Mau Mau revolt! What did they do?
Kenyan Perspective What Did The Kenyans Do?
- They resisted as much as they could
- Once the British realised, they sent their armies to attack them
- This caused some parts of Kenya to be under government control until the 1920’s
- Because of this, the Kenyan’s formed their own armies to fight, called the Mau Mau Revolt The Mau Mau Revolt
Mzungu Aende Ulaya, Mwafrika Apate Uhuru “White man go back home and let Africans get independence.”
- This movement took place from 1952 - 1960. - This revolt was created to push British settlers off the land. - The largest reason for this revolt was the British. Other then the obvious, that
they stole the land, the British settlers were both mentally and physically abusive to the people of Kenya. What Happened After After the Revolt
- The casualties were worse on the Kenyan side then the British side.
- Kenya and the British negotiated about independence for 3 years
- Britain slowly separated from Kenya and Britain thought they “won”
- Kenya was free from Britain in 1963 Our Political Cartoon
Sources:
Asante, Molefi Kete. “The History of Africa: The Quest for Eternal Harmony.” Routledge. 2019. Part VI: The Age of Reconstruction. P. 298-301. Book.
“A Brief History on Kenya.”Kenya: Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Japan. Web
“Kenya Declares Independence from Britain.” History.com. 8 August, 2019. Web. March 2021.