Land and Labour in Kenya Under British Colonial Rule from 1888 to 1953
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
University of Oran Faculty of Letters, Languages and Arts Department of Anglo-Saxon Languages English Section
Magister Thesis In African Civilization
Land and Labour in Kenya under British Colonial Rule from 1888 to 1953
Presented By: Supervised By: TOUAIBIA Mohammed Zahir Pr. LAHOUEL Badra
Board of Examiners : Soutenue le 02 Juillet 2014 - Chairperson Pr. Bouhadiba Zoulikha - Supervisor Pr. Lahouel Badra - Examiner Dr. Moulfi Leila
Academic Year 2013/2014
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
University of Oran Faculty of Letters, Languages and Arts Department of Anglo-Saxon Languages English Section
Magister Thesis In African Civilization
Land and Labour in Kenya under British Colonial Rule from 1888 to 1953
Presented By: Supervised By: TOUAIBIA Mohammed Zahir Pr. LAHOUEL Badra
Board of Examiners : - Chairperson Pr. Bouhadiba Zoulikha - Supervisor Pr. Lahouel Badra - Examiner Dr. Moulfi Leila
Academic Year 2013/2014
I owe all my gratitude to my teacher Badra Lahouel for her supervision, precious pieces of advice, and patience during the preparation of this thesis.
I would like to thank all my teachers of the doctoral school of English for their fruitful lectures.
I thank deeply the members of the jury Pr. Bouhadiba Zoulikha and Dr. Moulfi Leila who had devoted time examining the present work.
I
CONTENTS
Acknowledgment s………………...... I Abstrac t...... II List of Acronyms ...... III List of Maps ...... IV Table ...... V
Introduction ...... 01
CHAPTER ONE : Background to the Traditional System of Land Tenure, and
Kenya’s Fall under British Rule, 1885 -1890s ...... 05
I- The Traditional System of Land Tenure before1885 ...... 07
1) Land Ownership in the Kikuyu Tradition and Culture...... 10
2) Land Ownership in the Igi and Thuita Districts...... 12
3) Access Rights to Land Property in Pre-colonial Kenya...... 13
II-The British and the Abolition of the East African Slave Trade during
the1880s and the 1890 s...... 16
1) Kenya from Slave Trade to Zanzibar’s Plantations...... 18
2) Britain and the Abolition of Slavery in Zanzibar...... 21
3) The Berlin Conference as the First Official Step for Land Alienation in Kenya,
1884-1885...... 26
4) The Role of the IBEAC in Imposing British Rule and Shaping Labour in East
Africa, 1888-1895...... 32
CHAPTER TWO : Settlers’ Domination and the Exploitation of African Labourers in Colonial Kenya, 1900s – 1918 ...... 44
I - The origins of the settlers and Settlement in Kenya ...... 44
II -The Transfer of Power from the Foreign Office to the Colonial Office, 1904 -
1905 ...... 50
1) Reserves’ Schemes and Land’s Alienation under the Rule of the Colonial-
Office...... 52
2) Settler’s Reaction to the Shortage of Labour in 1905 and the Struggle of the
Colonial Office against the settlers’ Abuses………..……...... …...... 53
3) The Master and Servants Ordinance as a Means of Labour Coercion, 1906-
1910…...... …...... 57
4) The Carrier Corps Recruitment in British East Africa and Kenya,1914-1918...... 62
5) Settlers’ Domination and the Emergence of a Squatter-Labour System in Kenya
...... 68
6) The Recruitment of Squatters in Colonial Kenya...... 70
CHAPTER THREE : Land and Labour in Colonial Kenya, 1919-1953 ...... 74
I- Labour in Kenya during the Interwar Period, 1919-1930s ...... 75
1) Labour Shortage and the Northey’s Crisis during the 1920s...... 75
2) The Use of Reserves and Registration System to Control the Flow of Labour in
Colonial Kenya...... 79
3) Natural Disasters and their Impacts on Labour...... 83
4) The Great Depression and the Labour Crisis in Kenya during the 1920s and 1930s
...... 84
II- The Colonial Policy of Land and Labour, 1939 -1953 ...... 90
1) The Policies Instituted by Great Britain to Promote Development and Welfare
Schemes in her Colonies...... 91
2) The Agrarian Wartime and Post-war Policies, 1939-1948...... 94
3) Mitchell’s Policy, the Settlers and their Reactions towards the African
Squatters...... 99
4) The Olenguruone District and the Revolt of the Squatters for Land Rights...... 104
Conclusion ...... 112
Appendices...... 116
Bibliography ...... 169