BENEFITS OF COLONIALISM IN KENYA 1

Benefits of Colonialism in Kenya

It once was said that the sun never sets on the British Empire; no matter where the

sun was in the sky there would be one portion of this expansive reign that would be under

the sun. To achieve this feat however, many believe that the British were greedy and

power hungry and claimed land like it was their right (Document 3). However, the

British not only allowed for native government officials but also greatly improved

infrastructure, economy, and education while suppressing slavery between tribes and

religious groups. The colonization of Kenya brought this “tabula rasa”, a sparsely

inhabited and untouched country, into the modern age (Document 1).

In 1908 the main road system in Kenya was a single railroad running in the south-

west portion of the country, preventing the spread of ideas and trade to the rest of the

country (Document 11). By 1954 the British had funded and built a great new expanse of

roads to new parts of northern and eastern Kenya, allowing tribes such as the Galla and

Taita to exchange goods and information; such a thing that would have been near

impossible before the introduction of the new infrastructure (Document 2). Along with

the increase of road systems came the expansion of the postal system which increase 2.47

fold between the years 1919 and 1968 (Document 11).

During the British rule, not only were a bounty of schools created but also

students were given a friendly and safe learning environment (Document 10). 3,442

schools were built exclusively for Africans that hosted 350,000 students (Document 10).

Over 1.5 million dollars was given in government expenditure to pay for the education of

all of these new and eager students (Document 10). Along with new education African
BENEFITS OF COLONIALISM IN KENYA 2

students were introduced to British teachers and professors that treated them as equals

and weren’t afraid to work closely with them (Document 9).

Most importantly, colonization of Kenya brought with it an end to local slavery

and sacrificing of humans brought on between conflicts between tribes (Document 4).

Many tribes were gracious and accepting of their saviors, the British (Document 4).

Those few tribes that did not accept colonization right away were often willing to make

compromises for permission of certain privileges (Document 4). The coming of the

British marked the end to cruelty between tribes and introduced a system in which

Kenyans could work together and form their own government with people of other tribes

besides their own (Document 5).

The colonization of Kenya brought with it new technologies and conveniences

such as railroads and road systems, new education from friendly and accepting teachers,

and freedom from the oppression of other tribes. It opened the door to many new

opportunities to the Kenyans and set up the building blocks for Jomo Kenyatta to

effectively build an independent nation free of slavery and cruelty. In short the

colonization of Kenya presented the small and poor country with a better economy and

foundation for a new nation.