Introduction
Most of the African countries were under the colonial rule. Due to the growth of industries in Europe, which was facilitated by the concept of industrialization that saw numerous economic, social and industrial changes in Europe, European countries had to look for raw materials for their industries. Consequently, they ventured into the African continent and other parts of the world in search of places where they would get raw materials for their industries back at home (Ahluwalia, 2012). Various European countries portioned Africa into different colonies, and Kenya was taken by Britain. Kenya is a beautiful country that is found in the Eastern African region. It is known for its production of talented long distance runners. The British colonial rule was not welcome by the people easily, as some tribes such as the Nandi, Kikuyu and Meru led various uprisings opposing the colonial rule. Despite the uprising opposing the occupation of their land, the British eventually won; hence, establishing its colonial rule in the country. The British had well trained army and weapons that made it easier to win against disorganized traditional warriors during the colonization era.
Discussions
The establishment of British, ruthless rule had far reaching social, economic as well as political effects on the Kenyan people. One of the things that the British government did after making Kenya its colony was to displace individuals from their ancestral land, especially in areas that were deemed economically rich (Ahluwalia, 2012). It is crucial to look at the political effects of the colonial rule in Kenya. The colonization of Kenya had some positive as well as negative political effects. The effects can be felt to date. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the positive as well as negative political effects of British colonial rule in Kenya.
Negative Effects of Colonial Rule in Kenya Politically
The colonial rule in Kenya and many other parts of Africa had a devastating effect politically, whereby it lead to many evils happening; some have continued to take place, even after independence. One of the negative effects of colonialism in Kenya is the displacement of people from their lands during the colonial era. Most of the people in the Kikuyu land and some other parts of the Kenya that were living in the highlands were forcefully evicted from their ancestral homes. The highlands were regarded by white settlers as of great value because they provided a good environment to produce raw materials, such as coffee and tea needed back in their home country. It is critical to note that most of the industries back in Europe were agricultural-driven. Therefore, they depended on agricultural produce from various parts of the world to survive, particularly the colonies (Ahluwalia, 2012). Hence, for purposes of ensuring that adequate raw material was produced, they had to take prime land and settle farmers from Britain in Kenya. The impact of displacing people from their ancestral land during the colonial rule to date is being felt by Kenyans, given that after independence, most of the people did not get back their land.
A close look at the Kenyan history after independence, clearly indicates that individuals who were displaced from their land were not resettled back after independence. The negative displacement of individuals from their ancestral homes is still felt in Kenya today. Since independence, several tribal conflicts, mainly due to historical land injustices have taken place in the country. The main root cause of the tribal violence, especially the ones related to land matters can be traced back to the political injustice carried out by the British government of displacing people from their historical land. The political actions of the British colony in Kenya have spilled over to the independent Kenya, where people fight due to their ancestral land has been taken by certain individuals. As it was the case with colonial government, the independent government in Kenya employed the same tactics of settling the politically correct individuals in rich places, at the expense of the indigenous people who had been displaced from the land (Herbst, 2014). Therefore, the historical injustices facing the Kenyan people in the area of land were started by the colonial government, and they continue to be a major problem, which causes political instability in the country.
Additionally, the colonial government created the aspect of negative tribalism in Kenya. Kenyans of different communities before colonization of their land, used to live peacefully with their neighbors. However, the colonial government created tribal animosity by dividing Kenyans along tribal lines. Different regions were divided along tribal and ethnic lines in Kenya, so that it could be easier for the colonial masters to rule the Kenyans. The negative ethnicity that was created by the colonial government continues up to today in Kenya. Since independence, politicians who took governance power from the British colony have always advocated for negative tribalism so that they can continue being in power. The British colony created a negative ethnicity culture by implementing discrimination policy when it comes to schools, hospitals and other important social services. The schools and hospitals were divided along the racial lines, where certain schools were for the white, Asian and Africans (Ahluwalia, 2012). The negative tribalism still impacts Kenyan politics, and the recent election violence that was largely blamed for tribal animosity can be somehow traced back to the political hatred that Britain planted among the various ethnic groups in Kenya.
On the other hand, the colonial rule in Kenya created some sort of instability during the state of emergency in the 1950s, when the Kenyan people were fighting for independence. The Mau uprising led to some political instability in most of the central Kenya, as the freedom fighters went to the forest to carry out attacks on British colony soldiers and its sympathizers (Branch, 2009). The process led to political instability, as the British troops fought to ensure that the British government continued to colonize Kenya. Consequently, properties worth millions of dollars were destroyed, while many soldier and freedom fighters lost their lives. The political instability caused by the British government in the Kenyan territories saw key political figures arrested and detained for many years (Branch, 2009). However, the instability paid off dividends, as Kenya eventually managed to gain independence in 1963. The political instability, nonetheless left many children without fathers, mothers, and crucial lives were lost in the process. Kenyans would not have lost their lives or political instability created in the fight for independence, if, the British colony agreed to hand over power to country in a peaceful. The political instability in Kenya during the struggle for independence clearly shows the picture of how various African countries had to fight hard in order for them to gain independence from their respective colonial masters.
Another major negative impact of colonial rule in Kenya was the killing and torture of innocent people. Given that the black people were not satisfied with the injustices perpetrated by the colonial government, they started political movements as early as 1920s, and this saw the colonial administrators arrest those individuals spearheading the political activities against the government. People found to be joining political movements were arrested and tortured for being against the government. The most memorable moment in the Kenyan history was during the Mau uprising, as thousands of people were arrested and others massacred for their support of the freedom struggle (Branch, 2009). The case of Kenya is a good example of the inhumane treatment that Africans received under the hands of the colonial masters. They had to forgo their land and political interests due to the fear of being arrested or killed.
Finally, the colonial government enforced rules that denied the Africans who were the majority in Kenya their political rights. They were denied an equal opportunity to representation, and for many years they stayed in without any person championing for their interests in the government. Despite, the Africans being the majority, they were denied an opportunity of electing the leaders who would rule them. Also, the government implemented measures, such as high taxation and forced labor. Also, the Africans were required to carry ‘kipandes’ everywhere, and those who did not, were arrested and denied services from the government.
Positive Effects of Colonial Rule in Kenya Politically
Despite the fact that most of the things associated with colonialism are negative, particularly politically, the British rule in Kenya had some positive impacts. First, it led to the establishment of a strong powerful system of government. Traditionally, communities in Kenya used to live in different lands and they had their way of governing themselves. The main system of governance in Kenya before the colonial rule was through tribal chiefs. It was the case in most of the other African countries, where people were ruled by either chiefs or kings (Herbst, 2014). However, after establishing the Kenyan territory, the British implemented structures of governance that made it possible to govern all parts of the country. The tribal chiefs were given legal mandate to help the colonial masters in ruling the country. On the other hand, a central government was established in Nairobi, with three arms; judiciary, legislature and executive. Even after independence, the country adopted this system of governance. The system of governance implemented by the colonialist has brought stability in the country by ensuring that people are ruled by a strong government (Herbst, 2014). Therefore, colonialism in Kenya impacted the political system of government in a positive way.
Second, it led to the establishment of democratic systems of governance. Even though, during the early years of the colonial rule Africans were denied representation in the legislature, with time, they started being allowed to elect their representatives. After the defeat of the colonial masters and subsequently hand over of power to an African in 1963, Kenya maintained the same system of democracy, as one that was established by the colonial masters. They developed a representative democracy, where people from different regions and communities elected their representatives in various arms of the government (Herbst, 2014). The democracy that Kenyans enjoy to date was a result of the colonial rule.
Additionally, the colonial rule in Kenya lead to the establishment of the concept of citizenship, whereby people were supposed to register as Kenyan citizens during birth and through identification cards, popularly known as the ‘kipande system’. The system was part of independent Kenya, whereby to date people are still registering themselves through birth and identity cards for them to become Kenyan citizens (Herbst, 2014). Therefore, the establishment of colonial rule in Kenya played a great role when it comes to the development of concept of the citizenship.
Also, the colonial rule brought the concept of political rights in Kenya. Traditionally, before the colonization of Kenya, people did not have any political rights. Nonetheless, the British way of life was brought to the Kenyans, especially in the area of politics, and they adopted it even after independence. Kenya adopted the colonial system of political rights, such as right to security, right to protection of one’s property by the government and right to representation. The political rights greatly influenced the system of government after the collapse of colonial rule. In the past, before the colonization of the country, people did not have much say in their system of government, but British brought a system where people would choose their destiny by determining the leaders that they would prefer to serve them (Herbst, 2014).
Lastly, the colonial rule in Kenya played an instrumental role when it comes to establishment of nationalism. For purposes of defeating the colonial rule, people from different communities had to come together, and establish a political front that was to be used to champion the interest of the Africans (Branch, 2009). In the past, it was impossible for people to come together from different communities and champion the same political goals and national goals. Thus, it is as a result of the colonial rule, which the spirit of nationalism was born in Kenya, which even after independence has been holding the country together.
Conclusion and Suggestions
The colonial rule in Kenya had both positive as well as negative implications on the Kenyan politics. Some of the political impacts were felt only during the colonial era, but others continue to be felt even after independence. The research paper indicates that one of the negative impacts of British rule in Kenya is that it created negative ethnicity, which continues to create tribal conflicts to date in the country. Second, land injustices in the country originate from the British colony activities, and the problem to this date, has not been addressed; thus, creating tension in most of the regions in the country. Third, during the colonial era, it created political instability, especially during the state of emergency as people fought against the British rule through the Mau Mau movement. Also, thousands of people were killed and others tortured during the colonial rule, as they opposed the injustices directed toward them by the colonial government. Furthermore, colonialism contributed to Africans being denied their political rights, such as equal representation in the government under the British colonial rule in Kenya.
Nevertheless, despite the negative political impacts of the colonial rule in Kenya, also colonization of the country had some positive effects. First, it led to the creation of a strong system of government, which was later adopted after independence to champion for the interests of the Africans (Herbst, 2014). Second, colonialism brought the concept of democracy in Kenya, through people getting the power to elect their rulers. Third, it contributed to the emergence of the concept of nationalism, which is critical for national unity in Kenya and other African countries. Finally, it played a great role in the emergence of citizenship in Kenya, a concept that never existed before the colonization of the country.
It is evident from the case of Kenya that colonization of Africa had negative as well as positive effects on the continent. Nonetheless, the negative effects were more than positive effects, and to date, Africans continue fighting the adverse effects of colonialism, especially in the area of equality, tribal clashes, negative ethnicity and other problems. Thus, colonialism created more problems in African politically than the positive ones that it brought.
References
Ahluwalia, P. (2012). Politics and post-colonial theory: African inflections. Routledge.
Branch, D. (2009). Defeating Mau Mau, creating Kenya: Counterinsurgency, civil war, and decolonization (No. 111). Cambridge University Press.
Herbst, J. (2014). States and power in Africa: Comparative lessons in authority and control. Princeton University Press.
