Colonialism in Kenya resulted from the imperialism which can be known as the highest stage of capitalism. Colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism have the following definition in common: cultural and political domination as well as economic exploitation. At some extent, it became necessary for the three processes to exist as one. In the case of Kenya, as with other African countries, 1884/85 Berlin conference was the starting point, which set out the rules and regulation for colonial occupation. Together with other inter-European territorial agreement and Anglo-German agreement, the conference was instrumental not only in creating artificial agreements in Kenya but also wrestling diplomatic initiatives for the people of Kenya. In 1894 Britain affirmed protectorate over Uganda and Kenya. The boundaries of Kenya were marked without any consultation of the people of Kenya. It can be said that the colonial boundaries resulted in the establishment of the huge territorial entity.
However, they randomly brought more than forty communities that were beforehand self-governing into a single territorial unit. The colonial condition, and post-colonialism state afterward, would find it scary task exercising all these societies into a nation-state (Wolff 41). Certainly, it took the Samburu, the Turkana, and other communities that are marginalized the entire colonial era and even after into the postcolonial age to discover they were in Kenya. The fact that ethnic and administrative boundaries were coterminous brought about the negative ethnicity as various communities were competing for remote resources. The competition among the ethnic communities would characterize post-colonial politics and post-1945 nationalist struggle. Some of the examples include the struggle by the so-called marginal Kalenjin, Luhya and coastal residents to come up with quasi-federalism as a counterpoise to the domination by Luo and Kikuyu in independent Kenya.
The colonial military expedition resulted in the forced migration and genocide of the people among the Giriama, Ababukusu, the Nandi, Abagusii, and the Agikuyu and all the others who experienced colonial vigor. The take-over of colonial resulted in the loss of sovereignty as rulers during colonialism replaced the local leaders. This was among the ironies of the indirect rule of British. The British indirect rule whose basis was empty platitude resulted in the recruitment of collaborative porters and agents into the top leadership positions. The colonial military expedition brought about forced migration as well as genocide of the people.
Furthermore, orders from Britain were reflected by the British colonial administration instead of the consensus of the community leadership. The colonial governance via councils of chiefs, local native and native tribunal’s council, was thus a mockery of the democracy. These institutions acted as administrative and legal devices, and they were chaired by the colonial district officers. The institutions aimed to keep Africans in their subsidiary areas. Other purposes they served include imposition of administrative costs and the political expedition on Africans. Oder and law were thus enforced in the interest of the British buildup. On a wider perspective, colonial plans were created in London. Legislative, as well as executive councils, were dominated by the Europeans, and it made a budget. The council made a budget and formulated policies in Nairobi, and the approval was made in London (Wolff 36). Africans were not included in the council, which were headed by the governor up to and after the World War Two. There was a complaint by the European migrants that the council was subjugated by the government officials.
The objectives of the British were its economic gains for its local investors and metropolitan. In Kenya, they included thousand of the European settlers and merchant houses. The economic policy of British colonial in Kenya included the development of settler-owned agricultural production and peasant commodity production, African forced/migration labor, African taxation, land alimentation for the European settlers, education, and health, rail and road communication and transport, and export production. These rules were formed and put in place incrementally during certain colonialism stages. These stages included the Second World War 1939-1945 and the post-War era, the interwar period which also resulted in the great despair between 1929 and 1934, and the pre-1920 era that was affected by the emergence of the First World War. The implementation of these guiding principles was characterized by the sequence of oppositions with which the nation of colonialism had to cope in rare cases with any achievement. For instance, there was a conflict of interest between the colonial state in Kenya and metropolitan capitalists.
The British financiers and merchants often were successful. Internally European, Indian, and African settler interest also varied. In most cases, the European settlers had the period of pro-settler governors. Furthermore, these policies in the attention of capital were based on restructuring and desolation of the pre-colonial outlines. It was cheaper in most cases even if it was not effective to utilize the pre-capitalist forces and production relations. Also, it was in the interest of the capital to put the market under the control of the colonial control (Kim 78). This was carried out with a huge enthusiasm at the time of the post-Second World War which was frequently termed second colonial occupation. Due to the inappropriate practice, the colonial commodity production resulted in the widespread degradation of the environment. Forecast dispensation which was granted to the individuals as well as the companies resulted in the massive cutting of trees. The local industries were destroyed by the colonial enterprises. In Kenya, the colonial economic policies were helpful in the incorporation of the pre-capitalist communities into both international and economic colonial system. This persisted to the period after colonialism.
The African culture in Kenya was destroyed by the Christian missionary activities through the gospel of work, obedience, and salvation. Via the Western education, which was dominant despite the state role of the colonial, the Christian missions proclaimed against the cultures of Africans (Dilley 43). They were sympathetic that the salvation of Africans more so in Kenya needs to be gauged in the degree to which traditional cultural practices were left. The Christian missionaries’ invocation concerning obeying the government since it is God who put it in place was on the way of ensuring that Kenyans obeyed the colonial regime.
Even after colonialism, the economy of Kenya continues to monetarily, commercially, financially, and technologically depend on Britain, China, Japan, and increasingly the United States of America. Kenya has effectively diversified the range of countries since the advent of political independence on which she is dependent on the foreign assistance. This has resulted in the deterioration in the balance of payment of the country. Moreover, poverty, as well as income inequity, has become more prevalent since independence. Colonialism played a role in the poverty and inequality of the country since it promoted rural-urban, class and regional difference in the development.
Works Cited
Dilley, Marjorie R. British Policy in Kenya Colony. Cass, 2016.
Kim, Grace J.-S. Colonialism. Palgrave Pivot, 2013.
Wolff, Richard D. Economic Aspects of British Colonialism in Kenya, 1895-1930. U microfilms international, 2002.
