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Introduction

The British occupation in Kenya was not an easy task. Initially, Kenya was known as the British

East Africa Protectorate which was located in the African Great Lakes and roughly occupied the

shape of the current day Kenya. Although Kenya was part of the dominions of the sultan of

Zanzibar, it was controlled by Britain during the late 19

century. Kenya grew out of British

commercial interests in the area in the 1880s and remained a protectorate until 1920. Then,

Kenya became British colony. After occupying Kenya, British formed colonial state. The

colonials state introduced settler and corporate production of goods as the main reason for

staying of the colonial economy. The state forcefully acquired land, initiated forced labor which

hurt the Kenyan indigenous people. Indigenous people resisted their influence while others

collaborated with them. However, British used indirect rule to govern where they installed local

chiefs to prevent any form of resistance. Various Kenyan communities who resisted the British

influence include Bukusu, Agiryama, and Somali while others collaborated such as the Maasai.

The paper explores means through which the British ensured domination of the local people

while at the same time facing different forms of resistance.

British occupation in Kenya

The British occupation in Kenya began in the year 1895 becoming a British protectorate. The

Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEACO) was established by Sir William McKinnon

right after the Berlin Treaty responsible for safeguarding economic activities of Britain colonies.

In other words, the primary role of the company was to ensure economic exploitation of the East

African region particularly in Kenya. Earlier, the Britain occupation was ratified through the

signing of the Royal Charter Agreement lease agreed between IBEACO official McKinnon and

the Sultan of Zanzibar Barsghash in 1887 for a period of 50 years. Among the company’s

declaration was that the “white man’s interests were paramount and Kenya made a white man’s

country”. In this view, the fertile Kenyan highlands were reserved for the European settlers and

would evict indigenous communities from such areas. Based on the Royal Charter, the company

enjoyed a wide range of powers and their actions were only questionable by the British

authorities in London. For instance, the company official had the power to install local leaders

whom they felt would help in quelling resistance against the wish of the local communities. All

the local community leaders were required to give a concession to the IBEACO on how they

acquired the Kenyan fertile highlands. Under such circumstances were there were no legal means

of land acquisition, the community would be evicted and pushed to unfertile reserves. (Dilley et

al...1966). Maintaining large agricultural regions required human labor to generate income to

help in the administering of the colony. Cheap labor was the only alternative to cut the on the

expenses incurred in the administration of Kenya. Forced labor was imposed on the African who

were supposed to work for at least 8 hours a day usually with no or little pay. In aggravating the

worse condition, the British introduced hut tax that was imposed on every hut where the African

lived making it mandatory for grown male and females. On agriculture, the British prohibited

Africans from cultivating cash crops that would be not only compete against the European

produce but to ensure the Africans worked in their farms. In other cases, the company officials

were disrespectful to African traditions and the African culture. The officials went to the extent

of raping the women. Prevalent oppression such as land alienation and forced labor culminated

into a series of rebellious acts that would engage the British and the locals in an unending

warfare. Some communities such as the Kikuyus and the Giriama resolved to violent forms while

other communities collaborated with the British at the futility of engaging into war.

(Mwakikagile 2000:80)

Resisting the British rule

Earliest forms of British rule resistance in Kenya began with the Nandi resistance from 18990

ending in 1906. The Nandi suspicion of the British influence had a cause. Like in any other

African traditions, the Nandi’s Kimnyole prophesy foretold British occupation in Kenya. Further,

Kimnyole prophecy indicated that the Nandi’s livestock would be confiscated and would be

alienated from their land once the foreigners were allowed into their territory. In the year 1885,

West a British trader was killed by the Nandi people in prevention of Kimnyole prophesy

fulfillment. In response, the Britain unleashed their fury through confiscating the Nandi livestock

while at the same time pushing them out of the Nandi highlands. With the Nandi’s laying the

grounds for the resistance, other communities against land alienation followed suit in various

regions of the country.

Much of the communities resisting the British were from the mountainous Central region of the

country. Of much importance, the Kikuyus, Embu and the Meru abode in the highlands that the

European settlers favored. In response against land alienation and forced labor, the communities

resulted to guerilla warfare through Mau Mau uprising in 1952. The Mau Mau fought and

performed raids on European caravans traversing in mountainous areas. The use of violence was

seen as a necessity in confronting the British. The Mau Mau fighters preferred engaging the

British soldier in the highly mountainous terrains which gave them perfect camouflage against

the sophisticated British weapons. On the other hand, the mountains provided favorable grounds

in the administration of ritual oaths which bound the fighters to common goal in the quest for

independence. The Mau Mau movement was not only confined to male participation as the role

of women in the uprising was extremely crucial. Women acted as guides, spies and smugglers of

medical while others actively participated in the uprising such as Field Marshall Muthoni. The

Mau Mau warfare lasted for more than 4 years and claimed more than 11,000 fighters lives with

the hanging of the sect leader Dedan Kimathi. Similarly, the leader of Kikuyu political party,

Jomo Kenyatta was arrested by the British government on allegations of organizing the Mau

Mau movement. Although the Nandi and the Mau Mau uprising proved futility in presenting

African grievances, the resistance significantly accelerated decolonization process in Kenya.

(Brantley, 1981)

Collaborating with the British

While other communities were actively resisting British occupation, other local chiefs sought

protection from the British against their enemies.( Brantley, et al..1981). The Wanga people of

the Western region led by Nabongo Mumia welcomed British into his kingdom. Nabongo

Mumia’s collaboration with the British authoritires was fuelled by Mumia’s selfish interest of

maintaining his rule over the people while enjoying the British foreign items and protection.

Additionally, Mumia would provide back up to the British army by sending his warriors as spies

into other resisting communities such as Luos. True to his efforts, the British installed Nabongo

Mumias as the paramount chief of the entire Western region due to contribution in helping

British suppress local uprising around the region. On the other hand, the Maasai too collaborated

with the British rule. The Maasais were highly skilled nomadic warriors who embraced cattle

raiding as a heroic act because their source of livelihood depended on livestock. In this view, the

Maasais were an imminent threat not only to the British but also to other communities. However,

a series of internal leadership wrangles between the Kwavi Maasai who were agriculturalists

against the domination of nomadic Maasai’s rulers led to war. As a result, the Maasais had lost

many of their livestock and were both economically and politically weak to stage a formidable

resistance against the British. In reclaiming the lost glory, the Maasai leader Lenana signed

major agreement with the British administrators at the thought that the British had powerful

weapons. Not only did Lenana seek collaboration from the British in fighting the Nandi but

wanted to ensure that his brother Sendeyo would ascend to power and extend their domination.

Unaware of the British motives, Lenana was tricked into signing an agreement which allowed

the construction of the railway line through the Maasai land which would automatically displace

the Maasais from their land. Eventually, all the Maasais were alienated from their land and

pushed to the rather drier region in Kajiado and Laikipia reserves (Lumumba 2017:2-18). As a

result of their selfish interests through collaboration, much of their territories were under the

colonial rule at the pretext of being paramount chiefs.

Effects of colonialism and resistance

One of the most crucial impacts of resistance was the granting of independence to Kenya

by the British on 12

December 1963. Independent Kenya created civil societies primarily

formed to prevent continuous abuse of human rights and ensuring such rights were guaranteed on

all citizens. The civil societies formed the modern day governments upon gaining independence

from the colonialists. Consolidation of powers by the new leaders was experienced as they

greatly redefined the landscape of civil society. Affirmative policies that detribalized the state

causing civil folds in the society greatly hit the country. The civil society bared marks of racism

and power. Subsequently, educational policies in the education system were drafted. These

educational policies led to Africanization brought in by localization with educational

investments. Gradually, there was Africanization of a few associations, Kenya Farmers

Association and the Law Society of Kenya. (Maina.. 1998: 145)

. The Africans started achieving justice and equality for all as they had a desire of

controlling their future. Many people who lived near the whites were favored because

developments within the colonies were unequally shared. However, as the colonialism was being

ended, post- colonial communities had legitimacy crisis. As a counter method, there were

ideologies introduced to take the legitimacy of religion. Amongst them were social contacts,

representative government and other variations of democracy were experienced not forgetting

the theories about authoritarianism. Subsequently, emergence of varying households was also a

major impact of colonialism and resistance. Colonialism in Kenya put the peasant Kenyans

household against capitalist enterprise. The varied reaction of the peasant households to British

capitalist labor demands resulted in the emergence of many household types which included:

commodity producing households, labor exporting households, squatter households and working

class households. Further, colonialism led to African squatters. The squatters were Africans

living, cultivating and livestock grazing on a different land. Settlers could only allow Africans to

live on their land so as to secure a continuous supply of labor. In the reserves where Africans

were restricted, there were food shortages which led Africans to become squatters same as desire

to escape the education and missionaries which were becoming hard in the reserves than on

settler farms.

Kenyans were subject to unequal distribution of wealth and income. Past study supports

the proposition that possession of land put a floor under real wages in the peasant Kenyan

colony. The labors were then enabled to migrate into export-crop farming regions to have a share

of the gains of the exports. In addition, there was a decline in rural African living standards for a

long period within the 20

century. Notably, the living standards of the indigenous people were

a record of settler colonialism. In the areas where the British took land on a large scale, that

where early settlements and large companies beginnings were made to become modern

manufacturing. Thus, these settler lands have become infertile up to date due to many chemicals

used in settler farms and manufacturing industries.

Kenya was divided into religious spheres of influence during collaboration and

resistance. These divisions occurred after acts of serious imperialism by the British colony. Of

the religious groups formed, the Church Missionary society and the Presbyterian Church of

Scotland occupied a major territory in the Kikuyu districts of Kenya. The missions started

schools and started partial education of only men but some women. Further, markets for Kenyan

grown agricultural commodities emerged as much as business flourished. Kenyan businesses

have taken changes in the choice of products, means of production and organization of

businesses in various contexts. British government was more of market oriented given that there

were large scale appropriations of land for their use without minding whether the land was

individually owned or corporate owned. British further facilitated import capital into this

capital-scarce Country. The colonial government brought capital especially in settler plantations

to support agriculture. The capital brought could be used to buy seedlings for the settler farms

and for paying the workers who worked in their farms and industries.

Conclusion

Undeniably, resistance or collaboration were undertaken to present African grievances against

oppressive British rule in different means which ultimately paved way for decolonization. The

process of collaboration and resistance acted as training grounds through which promotional of

unity was fostered through the administration of ritual oaths The study about Africa’s’ resistance

and collaboration has shown a great relationship between Kenya and British colonial

denomination. Some Britain forms of governance, agriculture as well as education reflect

Britain’s current models of contemporary life. As a matter of fact, resistance has had negative

consequences in terms of massive loss of life and property that currently are termed as abuse of

human rights. Despite all forms of atrocities meted on Africans by the British, Kenya and among

other former Britain colonies have maintained friendlier ties through various organizations. It is

not surprising that a case has been filed in London court seeking compensations from British

towards the victims and families of Mau Mau war veterans. Nonetheless, on a positive note,

British occupation in Kenya brought many changes that have improved the quality of life.

References

Brantley, C. (1981). The Giriama and colonial resistance in Kenya, 1800-1920. Univ of

California Press

Brantley, C. (1981). The Nandi protest of 1923 in the context of African resistance to colonial

rule in Kenya. The Journal of African History, 17(4), 555-575.

Middleton, J., & Kershaw, G. (1972). The central tribes of the north-eastern Bantu:(the Kikuyu,

including Embu, Meru, Mbere, Chuka, Mwimbi, Tharaka, and the Kamba of Kenya).

International African Institute.

Ochieng, W. R. (1985). A history of Kenya. Macmillan Kenya.

Elkins, C. (2005). Imperial reckoning: The untold story of Britain's gulag in Kenya. Macmillan.

Dilley, M. R. (1966). British policy in Kenya colony. Psychology Press.British policy in Kenya

colony. Psychology Press

References

Lumumba, 2017. Reform and counter-reform in Kenya's land governance. Review of African

Political Economy, 1-18.

Mwakikagile, Godfrey. Africa and the West. Nova Publishers, 2000.

Ellis, Diana. "The Nandi protest of 1923 in the context of African resistance to colonial rule in

Kenya."

The Journal of African History 17.4 (1976): 555-575.

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