RICE UNIVERSITY A Political History of Higher Education in East Africa: The Rise and Fall of the University of East Africa, 1937-1970 by Bhekithemba Richard Mngomezulu A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE Doctor of Philosophy APPROVED, THESIS COMMITTEE: E. S. Atieno Odhiambo, PJJ His r Edward L. Cox, Associate Profe History HOUSTON, TEXAS MAY, 2004 UMI Number: 3122509 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3122509 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml48106-1346 ABSTRACT A Political History of Higher Education in East Africa: The Rise and Fall of the University of East Africa, 1937-1970 By Bhekithemba Richard Mngomezulu From the 1920s Britain started formulating educational policies for its African colonies as part of the overall imperial policy, and in response to African agitation for higher education. In 1937, the publication of the De la Warr Commission Report set in motion a long drawn-out process of establishing the federal University of East Africa. Subsequently, territorial and inter-territorial tensions regarding the nature and function of the envisaged regional University emerged and continued up to independence. After independence, the spirit of nationalism and the divergent policies followed by East African nation-states exacerbated the tensions regarding the anticipated University. When the University was inaugurated in June 1963, these tensions made it inevitable that the University would split. In a sense, the University of East Africa was a stillborn entity. This study explores the tensions within the history of the University of East Africa with the view to establishing why it was established and why it disintegrated in 1970. The study analyzes these tensions at four levels: (i) the tensions which emerged between the British authorities and East African constituencies when the idea of a regional University was conceived during the colonial period; (ii) the tensions obtaining between the British government and its Governors and Directors of Education in East Africa during the 1920s and 1930s; (iii) inter-territorial tensions in East Africa before and after independence; and (iv) sustained tensions within each territory. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS After a storm comes a calm! This work is a product of sleepless nights, frustration and emotional stress. However, I did not endure this incessant pain all by myself. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the many people who assisted me. I cannot mention all ofthem due to lack of space, my apologies to those who will be left out. First and foremost I would like to thank my family: my beloved mother Mrs. Filda Mngomezulu, my sister Mavis, my late brothers Moses and Josiah Mngomezulu, their wives Gladys and Alvinah and all their children. These are the people who suffered emotionally and financially so that I could achieve my academic goals. A few individuals deserve mention for their role in my secondary and high school education. My sincere thanks and gratitude are due to my late uncle Nkomokayindindi Nyawo, Nkinka Mngomezulu and the late Mrs. Martha D. Myeni, for providing me free accommodation. Also, I would like to thank Rev. Samson M. Mathenjwa for assisting me in securing a bursary from the Council of Churches in 1987. I am particularly indebted to Mr. Mswazi L. E. Mathenjwa, my high school Principal; Mr. Solomon Mngomezulu, my class teacher in Grade 10; and my late friend and colleague, Mr. G. B. S. Mathenjwa for encouraging me to proceed to university despite my financial circumstances. I owe the successful completion of my junior degree at the University of Zululand in part to Anthony T. Myeni to whom I always turned when I had problems, and Sipho J. Nyawo who sacrificed his time bringing me whatever little money my mother had raised through loans to supplement what my brothers could afford from their low wages at the gold-mines in Johannesburg. Many people financed my undergraduate education through loans, particularly, Mr. Thembi R. Simelane and the late Mr. Isiah Nyawo. iv Above all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, my friend and colleague at the University of the Western Cape; without him, I would not have come to Rice. It is to his empathy I will always aspire. Also, I would like to thank the faculty in the History Department at the University of the Western Cape not only for writing me letters of recommendation and for negotiating with the University Administration for my leave, but also for agreeing to carry the extra teaching load while I was away. Many thanks are due to Dr. Leslie Witz for helping me address my family problems at various moments. To all my colleagues I say baie dankie! At Rice I would like to thank the History Department for funding my graduate study and for making the department a home away from home. Dr. Paula Sanders, Carolyn Paget and Paula Platt welcomed me with warm hands and ensured that I settled down without hassles. Rachel Zepeda, who took over from Carolyn, ensured that the History Department continued to provide a good working environment. V erva Densmore has been a mother to me throughout my stay at Rice. Her family adopted me as a son and I will never thank her enough for that. I would also like to thank Anita Smith for consistently reminding me about deadlines as I was assembling my dissertation. My academic career at Rice benefited from a number of dedicated scholars. I would like to thank the following professors whose seminars and reading courses stimulated my thinking: E. S. Atieno Odhiambo, Edward L. Cox, Martin Wiener, John Boles, Carol Quillen and James Bjork. Also, I would like to thank Dr. Kerry Ward for agreeing to be one of the examiners during my qualifying exams. Particular thanks are due to Professor Gregory Maddox at Texas Southern University for being my mentor while Professor Odhiambo was on leave. I am grateful to Dr. Lennard Tenende for v teaching me Swahili before I left for East Africa to do my research, and for introducing me to Nomsa Cele, Tumi Mabuza, Sbusiso Mpanza and other fellow South Africans who made my stay in Houston a memorable one. To all these people I say asanteni sana! The Wagoner Scholarship funded my research in East Africa. I am grateful to the administrators of this fund for their financial support and to all those who assisted me during the application process, particularly, Verva Densmore, Andrea Lynne Battle, professors Thomas Haskell, Edward Cox, Martin Wiener and Michael Maas. Conducting research can be a painful experience. Fortunately, that was not the case with me. I would like to thank Professor Milcah Achola and her secretaries in the History Department at the University of Nairobi in Kenya for hosting me and for giving me the institutional support I needed while I was there. The staff at Jomo Kenyatta Memorial Library, especially the Africana section, helped me a great deal. Special thanks are due to Emmah Manyeki at the University of Nairobi Archives, together with Grace Kiragu and Lucy Wambui Njenga for their invaluable assistance. Similarly, my sincere thanks and gratitude go to Mr. Musila Musembi and his staff at the Kenya National Archives for their help. The staff at Rice's Fondren Library deserves special recognition for getting me research material on time. In particular, I am indebted to the following departments: Inter-Library Loan, Government Publications and Circulation Desk. My stay in Kenya was made easier by a number of people who befriended me. They include: Ben Nyanchoga, Ibrahim Busolo, Godfrey Mutisya, Eunice Wanjiru, Moses Mutulili, Elizabeth Natasha and Solomon Githinji. The staff at the Y. M. C. A. on State House Road treated me warmly. I would like to thank, in particular, Julius Wambua and his family, Fredrick Onyango and John Shikuku for sharing ideas with me. vi Writing this dissertation would have been impossible without the guidance of my committee. I am indebted to Professor Odhiambo, my field adviser and Chair of my committee, not only for carefully reading my drafts and making suggestions but also for being my mentor throughout my stay at Rice. My sincere thanks and gratitude go to Professor Cox for being a source of inspiration and for reading and commenting on my drafts. Many thanks are due to Professor Elias Bongmba from the Religious Studies for reading my drafts and making invaluable comments at different stages. The closest I could get in thanking my dissertation committee is by emulating them when I resume my teaching duties back in South Africa. Special thanks are due to Dr. Carol Sicherman in New York for sharing her sources with me. I appreciate her generosity. This work could never have been finished on time without the benevolence of two fellow students. Special thanks are due to Francelle Pruitt and Anne Chao for making it possible for me to have a twenty-four-hour access to the computer. People with such a big heart are hard to find! My stay at Rice also benefited from the altruism of my six classmates.