THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY EAST AFRICAN COAST

The East African coast stretches from Mogadishu in the North to Cape

Delgado in the South.

The earliest people to settle at the coast where initially hunters and food

gatherers

The Bantu were the first group of people to migrate to the East African

coast.

They came from central Africa around 500AD.

They settled in towns like Mombasa, Kilwa, Sofala and Malindi.

The second group of people who settled at the coast were the cushites.

They migrated from North Eastern Ethiopia and occupied the northern part

of the coast.

The Arabs and Persians were the third group of people to migrate to the

coast around 1000 A.D.

They were mainly traders who crossed the Indian Ocean.

However other groups like Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, Indonesians, and

Indians also found themselves coming to the coast.

Their arrival was due to the booming Indian Ocean Trade

THE ZENJI EMPIRE (The Land Of Azania)

The Zenj Empire was a stretch of land along the East African coast from

Mogadishu up to Cape Delgado.

 It’ s the Arabs who named that area the Zenj Empire meaning “The land of

the black people”.

The Arabs thought that it was one Empire but this was not true

The coast was made up of 37 independent states.

These states included; Kilwa, Sofala, Malindi, Mombasa, Pate, Scotra, Kilifi,

Zanzibar, Lamu, Oja, Pemba, Gedi, Mafia, Mogadishu, e.t.c.

Politically each state had its own ruler or leader.

Each state was equipped with a small army.

Socially the people settled in small communities and built small wattle

houses.

Economically they carried out Agriculture, Fishing, Hunting, Iron working and

Trade.

THE ARABS

Who were the arabs

The Arabs were originally the people of the Arabian desert. Converted

to Islam in the 7th century A.D., they conquered the Middle East from the

Sassanian and Byzantine empires and established a succession of Arab-Islamic

Middle Eastern empires from Spain to Central Asia and from the Caucasus to

India.

By 1000A.D, the Arabs had started crossing the Indian Ocean to come

to East African coas,.t. Their flow into East Africa continued up to – 1500A.D.

Why the Arabs came to the East African coast

The Arabs were attracted by the booming Indian Ocean trade which would

generate profits.

They were interested in commodities like Ivory, Slaves, animal skins, gold,

and bee wax e.t.c.

The Arabs were driven by the desire to spread Islam on the coast i.e. the

strong Muslims wanted to Islamize the whole coast and set up a Moslem

Empire.

The East African coast was blessed with good natural habours which could

allow even big ships to anchor.

The moon soon winds also encouraged the Arabs to come to the coast

because they blew the dhows towards the East African coast.

Political persecutions and power struggles in Arabia forced many to seek

refuge at the East African coast for example the Yorubi and Busaidi

Family struggles in Oman.

The Arabs especially thbbe young men were motivated by the spirit of

adventure i.e. they had the desire to explore unknown lands /areas.

The hospitality of the coastal people also encouraged many Arabs to come to

the East African coast.

The Arabs were also attracted by the fertile soils at the coast i.e. there was

a lot of free land at the coast which the Arabs wanted to use for

agriculture.

The presence of fresh drinking water at the coast also attracted many Arabs

to settle at the East African coast.

 Religious persecution also forced many Arabs to come and settle at the East

African coast.

The presence of highly demanded goods e.g. Gold, Slaves, Ivory and Skins

forced many Arabs to come and settle at the coast and obtain these

commodities cheaply.

Some Arabs landed at the E.African coast because they were driven by the

monsoon winds.

Some Arabs were driven by bound wagon influence i.e. they migrated to the

coast because they saw others and their relatives migrating.

Effects of the Arabs at the coast

The Arabs imposed themselves as rulers over the local people making them

loose their independence hence the coastal people tasted foreign rule for

the first time.

Inter – marriages between the local people and the Arabs gave birth to a new

group of people called the Swahili people.

With the birth of the Swahili people a new culture called the Swahili culture

(Afro Arab culture) developed at the coast.

The new culture came with a new language called Kiswahili which became

the medium of communication along the coast.

There was spread of Islam i.e. many people at along the coast became

Moslems.

The Arabs introduced new styles of building at the coast e.g. they started

building flat topped houses and some with dome shapes made out of

stones and bricks.

The Local people adopted Arabic ways of dressing e.g. Men started putting

on Kanzus, Turbans and Caps while the Women started putting on long

dresses and veils.

The Sharia law of administration was introduced at the East African coast

and Islamic tittles like Sheikh and Sultan were used by the local rulers.

The coming of Arabs led to the growth of coastal towns e.g. Kilwa, Malindi,

Mombasa and Zanzibar because of the trade contacts with Arabs e.g.

magnificent buildings were put up.

The Arabs introduced new crops at the E.African coast e.g. Rice, Wheat,

Sugarcane, Bananas cloves and the coastal people started growing these

crops.

Mosques and Quaranic Schools were built to help in the spread of Islam.

People along the coast were trained to read the Quran and Arabic

language.

The Arabs introduced the minting and use of coins in trade. This replaced

the old system of barter trade.

The coming of Arabs led to the development of slave trade along the coast.

Slaves were highly demanded in Arab countries and this greatly

depopulated East Africa.

The Arabs introduced guns along the coast and this increased warfare and

insecurity at the coast.

Many people shifted from fishing, farming and herding and then took on

trade which was booming at the coast.

A powerful and rich class of people emerged along the coast as a result of

their participation in trade through which they got a lot of wealth.

 The Arabs introduced new techniques of boat building along the coast due to

the need to ease transport along the Indian Ocean.

African resources were exploited to the maximum e.g. Slaves, Ivory were

exchanged 4 simple Items like mirrors.

East Africa was linked to the outside world because the trade along the coast

attracted people from Asia and Europe.

Economic Rivalry developed among the coastal town e.g. between Mombasa

and Malindi, Kilwa and Sofala. Each town wanted to control and

monopolize the trade.

Arabic language was introduced along the coast as official language used for

administration while Kiswahili was for business.

Economic prosperity along the coast attracted the Portuguese towards the

end of the 15th century and these looted and plundered the coastal

wealth.

THE FEATURES OF LIFE ALONG THE EAST AFRICAN COAST (1000 – 1500

A.D)

Ways of life/characteristics of the coast

The coast was characterized by many groups of people e.g. Bantu, Cushites,

Arabs, Persians, Greeks, Egyptians e.t.c.

Politically most of these people settled in coastal towns e.g. Malindi,

Zanzibar, Lamu, and Mafia with each town having its own ruler who was

either a Sultan or Sheikh.

There were inter-marriages between the people of the coast and Arabs

giving a rise to a new race of people called the Swahili people.

The Swahili people had their own culture i.e. the A fro – Arab culture /

Swahili culture with their own language called Kiswahili

Arabic ways of life e.g. dressing, seating cross legged and people used to wear

Kanzus, Veils, and turbans and also build flat topped houses.

Many people were converted to Islam and it became the dominant form of

worship and it replaced traditional beliefs e.g. mosques and Quaranic

Schools were built.

Arabic was the official language used in administration, courts of law and

religious circles while Kiswahili was the business language.

Trade was another main feature of the coast. They traded with people of the

interior of East Africa e.g. Nyamwezi e.t.c.

There existed two classes of people at the coast i.e. the wealthy class lived

in luxury houses while the poor slept in mud houses

The legal system at the coast was based on the Sharia law and the Koran e.g.

Islamic titles came into use e.g. Muhtasib in charge of police, Khadi in

charge of the judiciary.

The coast was also characterized with rivalry among the various coastal

settlements e.g. Mombasa against Malindi and Kilwa against Sofala

The coastal people also carried out some agriculture. Crops like millet, rice

and wheat were grown.

The coastal people also domesticated animals like goats, sheep, chicken and

cows.

The coastal towns were under foreign rule for the first time i.e. Arabs

imposed themselves as rulers of the coast.

THE RISE OF THE SWAHILI CULTURE AT THE COAST

The Swahili culture developed out of the Arab contacts with the coastal

people.

On reaching the coast the Arabs intermarried with the coastal people.

Intermarriages between the coastal people and the Arabs gave birth to the

Swahili people.

Due to the influence of the Arabs, the Swahili people became Moslems.

A number of mosques and Quaranic schools were built leading to the spread

of the Swahili culture.

The Swahili people adopted Architecture of Arabs i.e. they built flat topped

and dome shaped houses similar to those in Arabia.

The coastal people also adopted the Arabic ways of dressing for example Men

wore Kanzus, caps and Turbans while the Women wore long silk dresses,

veils, bangles and bracelets.

Through the Indian Ocean trade, the Swahili culture was also spread along

the coast.

Africans started using foreign goods from Arabia like beads, clothes, and

spices e.t.c.

The Arabs also introduced cowry shells as a currency to help in trade and

this replaced the barter system of trade. The coastal people adopted the

use of cowry shells.

The Swahili people also copied / adopted the Arabic social ways e.g. praying

five times a day, sitting crossed leggedand Arabic burial customs.

 The Swahili people also adopted the Arabic food stuffs e.g. Rice, Oranges,

Wheat e.t.c they also kept some animals e.g. goats, sheep, and cattle.

The Swahili culture would have continued to flourish but due to the

interruption from the Portuguese around 1458, Afro-Arab culture

experienced a decline.

PORTUGUESE RULE

These were the first group of Europeans to come and settle at the East African

coast.

They started arriving at the coast in 1498 A.D.

They displaced the Arabs who had stayed at the coast for over 500 years.

Why the Portuguese came to E.Africa

The Portuguese being Christians wanted to spread Christianity along the

East African coast especially after ending the spread of Islam.

The Portuguese were looking for their Christian king called John Prester who

had disappeared and was believed to be in the interior of North. East

Africa.

The Portuguese wanted to establish a large commercial empire along the

coast so as to monopolize the Indian Ocean trade

The Portuguese were looking for a direct sea route to India and they wanted

to use the E.African coast as a base for resting and repairing of ships.

The Portuguese also wanted to revenge on the Moslems who had converted

them to Islam in Turkey (Iberian Peninsular) as early as 1700A.D.

 The Portuguese came to the E.African coast as a result of adventure and

exploration i.e. they wanted to explore unknown lands.

The Portuguese were also attracted by the coastal wealth i.e. the E.African

coast had a lot of mineral and precious stones.

The Portuguese were attracted by the fertile coastal soils which they wanted

to use for growing crops to provide food to the Portuguese sailors.

The East African coast also had good natural harbours which would act as

bases for resting, repairing of ships and getting food and water.

The Portuguese were also attracted by the coastal climate i.e. favorable

rainfall and temperature to support Agriculture.

The Portuguese wanted to prevent other European powers from gaining

access to the coast (Indian Ocean Trade) i.e. they were unwilling to share

the coastal wealth.

The hospitality of the coastal people also led to the coming of the Portuguese

i.e. Malindi made friendly relations with the Portuguese.

The Portuguese also wanted to be prestigious as a great colonial power with

wealthy colonies.

The Portuguese wanted to deprive the Egyptian and Turkish forces of any

help that they would get from fellow Moslems at the coast and that’ s

why Fort Jesus was built.

Stages During The Portuguese Conquest At The Coast (1498 – 1510 A.D)

The Portuguese conquest of the East African was not a single event i.e. it took

over 10 years and it was by force.

In 1498, Vasco da Gama carried out a thorough survey of the coast and he

returned to Portugal and made a report to King Emmanuel.

He reported about the booming coastal trade, the presence of the Arabs and

the need to use force to conquer the coast.

In 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral made an unsuccessful attack to capture

Sofala hoping to control her gold trade.

In 1502, Vasco Da Gama returned on his second journey with a fleet of 19

ships.

He captured Kilwa where Sultan Ibrahim was forced to pay tribute to

Portugal.

However when Vasco Da Gama’ s fleet left for GAO (India), the sultan of

Kilwa stopped paying tribute to Portugal.

In 1503, Ruy Ravasco Lamenco came with reinforcements and was able to

capture Islands of Mafia, Zanzibar and Pemba forcing them to pay

tribute to Portugal.

In 1504, Lopez Suarez unsuccessfully attacked Kilwa and its harbours.

The gold trade was disrupted but Sultan Ibrahim still refused to pay the

tribute.

In 1505, Francisco D’ Almeida on his way to GAO (India) attacked three

towns i.e. Sofala, Kilwa and Mombasa.

In all these towns, the Portuguese well trained soldiers over powered the

coastal Sultans.

In 1506, Captain Tristan De Cunha captured the Islands of Lamu, Kismayo,

Pate, Brava and Oja and Scotra.

 In 1509, Alfonso D’ Alberqueque captured the Islands of Mafia, Pemba, and

Zanzibar.

Other towns like Malindi simply welcomed and co-operated with the

Portuguese.

By 1510, all the coastal towns were under the Portuguese and they were

divided into the northern and southern states.

Why did the Portuguese conquer the East African coast with a lot of ease

The Portuguese were well informed about the nature of Arabs at the coast

e.g. Vasco da Gama had visited the coast and he advocated for the use of

force to defeat the Arabs.

The Portuguese were militarily superior i.e. they had better ships and guns

e.g. the Canon Gun which scared the Africans at the coast.

The coastal people had inferior weapons like spears and outdated guns which

could not compete with the superior weapons of the Portuguese.

The Coastal people were disunited and could not join hands to fight a

common enemy e.g. Malindi and Mombasa had strong rivalry.

The Portuguese had well trained soldiers who were experienced in warfare

they also carried muskets and armored clothes.

The Portuguese were skilled in naval warfare i.e. they could fight on water

while the coastal people were used to fighting on land.

The Portuguese soldiers were financially supported by their home

government and the rich Portuguese merchant and therefore they had

enough food, ships and weapons.

 The Portuguese always used surprise attacks to defeat the coastal societies

for example at night and on market days.

The Portuguese were very ruthless and brutal and they looted and burnt

coastal towns to ashes e.g. Kilwa and Mombasa and this scared other

towns.

The Portuguese used the divide and rule policy to ensure that the coastal

people would lose e.g. the Portuguese allied which Malindi to fight against

Mombasa.

The Coastal states had weak economies which could not sustain the fight

against the Portuguese who were economically stronger.

Some coastal states were already weakened by slave trade which reduced

their population.

Some coastal settlements were already weakened by the Segeju and Zimba

man eaters

Portugal did not have any rival European power at the coast to engage them

in war hence easing their conquest.

Africans were further weakened by famine and diseases and therefore could

not put up any resistance against the Portuguese.

The Portuguese were so determined and united to achieve their goal of

conquering the coast.

Problems faced by the Portuguese at the coast

Problems faced by the Portuguese at the coast includes the following, The

E.African coast was very big and too wide covering over 400km and

therefore the Portuguese could not effectively control the wide area.
The Portuguese officials were very few to control the whole of the East

African coast.

Portugal lacked enough skilled man power to effectively administer the

coast.

The few Portuguese officials at the coast were very arrogant and inefficient,

harsh / Ruthless, greedy and corrupt hence the coastal people hated

them.

The coastal climate was very hostile and unhealthy for the Portuguese who

were whites i.e. it was either too hot or too wet.

The Portuguese also faced a problem of language barrier i.e. they could not

easily communicate with the coastal people.

The Portuguese lacked money (funds) to effectively administer the coast due

to the decline of the Indian Ocean trade.

The Portuguese also faced a problem of Turkish sea pirates e.g. Ali Bey who

attacked their ships and coastal settlements.

Diseases also claimed many lives of the Portuguese who had come to the

coast e.g. Malaria, sleeping sickness e.t.c

The distance from Portugal to the coast was too long and therefore the

Portuguese could not easily get supplies like medicine and guns.

The Portuguese were constantly attacked by the Segeju and Zimba man

eaters which also led to a reduction in their numbers.

The Portuguese faced constant rebellions from the people at the coast which

consumed a lot of Portuguese resources and energy.

The Portuguese were Christians yet most of the coastal people were Moslems

and this led to cultural and religious differences.

The Portuguese were so unfriendly to the coastal people e.g. they built their

own Churches and Schools which affected their rule at the coast.

Effects of Portuguese rule at the coast

Portuguese built Fort Jesus in Mombasa in 1593 as a military base but today

it serves as tourist attraction for Kenya.

The Portuguese introduced new crops at the coast e.g. Maize, Cassava,

Pineapples, Paw paws, groundnuts, Guavas e.t.c which have provided

food to E.African communities.

The Portuguese improved on farming by encouraging the use of cow dung as

manure.

The Portuguese introduced new items at the coast e.g. Karata (playing

cards), headscarves and table clothes.

The Portuguese improved on the Swahili language by adding some `words e.g.

Pesa meaning money, Meza meaning table and Motoka meaning car.

The Portuguese also provided strong links between E.Africa and India

because their main head quarters were in India (GAO)

The Portuguese presence at the coast also opened up E.Africa to other

European countries e.g. Britain, France, and Holland.

The Portuguese introduced Christianity although it failed to take root at the

coast because most people hated the Portuguese.

The Portuguese led to the decline of the Indian Ocean trade because they

chased away the Arabs from the coast.

 The Portuguese made no attempts to uplift the living standards of the

coastal people but were just interested in gold trade than developing the

coast.

The Portuguese were always at war with coastal towns e.g. Mombasa which

led to massive destruction of property and decline of towns.

The Portuguese rule resulted into widespread poverty at the coast because

they introduced heavy taxes which made the coasted people poor.

Their raids, unsettled life and killing of the most productive people resulted

in destruction of crops that further led to famine.

The Portuguese looted and squandered the coastal wealth which led to the

decline of the coastal towns.

The Portuguese made unfriendly relations with the coastal people which led

to cultural and religious differences.

Portuguese administration at the coast

By 1510, the coast was effectively under Portuguese rule.

The Portuguese used the divide and rule policy to administer the coast.

The coast was divided into two i.e. Northern states and Southern states each

under a captain.

The Northern states were ruled by the captain stationed at Malindi.

The Southern states were ruled by the captain stationed at Mozambique.

Before 1507, Mozambique was the over-all headquarter of the Portuguese

authority at the coast.

All captains had to report to the Portuguese Viceroy at Gao in India.

Captains were supposed to collect taxes and tribute, enforce payment of

customs duty on imports and exports, keep law and order and suppress

rebellions.

They were harsh and always burnt and destroyed settlements to control

rebellions.

Portuguese rule was full of corruption because they employed ruthless and

corrupt army commanders.

They lived isolated lives and never attempted to create good relations with

the Africans.

Fortified garrisons were built in Mozambique and Sofala to suppress / defeat

all rebellions.

In 1593, Fort Jesus was built at Mombasa because of her rebellious nature

and also to strengthen Portuguese administration.

A captain was appointed to settle permanently in Mombasa because of her

rebellious nature.

They looted coastal towns and denied Africans a chance to participate in

trading activities.

Later on, the Southern states were reunited which the Northern states to

form one big Portuguese Empire.

Socially, they tried to spread Christianity but with little success.

Economically, they over taxed their subjects and collected tributes from to

raise revenue.

The 200 years of their rule witnessed decay of coastal towns and slow

movement of goods.
Ways of life under the Portuguese at the coast (1500 – 1700 A.D).

The 200yrs of Portuguese rule at the coast were characterized by wars,

continuous economic decline and decay.

The coastal people did not gain from the Portuguese rule at any time.

At the same time, the Portuguese did not prosper because of the decline in

trade.

Trade under the Portuguese rule declined due to the Portuguese corrupt

ways of handling affairs.

The Portuguese looted the coastal towns of all valuable items for example the

gold at Kilwa and Sofala.

The Portuguese denied the Africans a chance of participating in trade and

they stole all the Proceeds from the trade.

Towns were demolished and burnt during the Portuguese rule for example

Mombasa and Kilwa lost their beautiful buildings.

People greatly suffered during the Portuguese rule for example they were

flogged (canned) in public and humiliated for small offenses for example

failure to pay tax.

The Portuguese era was also characterized by unfriendliness and isolation.

They had their own churches and lived in their own communities.

The Coastal people hated the Portuguese and called them infidels and nick

named them ‘ Afriti.

This was because most of the coastal people were Moslems yet the Portuguese

were Christians.
 Rebellions became the order of the day at the coast as the coastal people

always resisted the Portuguese administration in a bid to overthrow

them.

Life was unproductive, oppressive and disappointing to the Africans.

Why the Portuguese lost control of the coast

The Portuguese had very few qualified personnel to administer the coast.

Portuguese administrators at the coast were very corrupt and arrogant.

Portugal was a very small country with fewer resources to finance the

administration of the coast.

The Coast was too big (400km) and the Portuguese could not effectively

administer.

Religious differences i.e. the coastal people were Moslems while the

Portuguese were Christians.

The Portuguese failed to establish friendship with the coastal people leading

to hatred and wars.

Language barrier affected them and could not communicate easily with the

coastal people.

Tropical diseases e.g. malaria claimed many lives of Portuguese reducing

their number.

The hostile climate at the coast also made their stay at the coast very

difficult.

Portugal was too far away from the coast which made communication with

their home government difficult.

 Portugal was forced to unite with Spain in 1640 which meant that Portugal

wouldn’ t control the coast alone because of the demands of the Union

with the Spain.

The frequent rebellions at the coast greatly weakened the Portuguese e.g.

many lost their lives.

The arrival of more powerful rivals particularly Britain, the Dutch and

French traders around the 16th century who also wanted to control the

Indian Ocean trade.

The Challenges from the Turkish sea pirates who constantly raided the

Portuguese settlements and ships.

The climate at the coast also proved harsh and unsuitable to most

Portuguese and many died thus reducing their number at the coast.

Portugal could not keep fortified garrisons all along the coast, e.g. they only

had forts at sofala, Mozambique and Mombasa.

The coming of the Oman Arabs in december1698 led to the eventual

collapse of the Portuguese rule at the coast.

OMAN ARABS

After the final defeat of the Portuguese in 1698, the Oman Arabs imposed

themselves at the E.African coast as the new rulers.

Mombasa was to become the centre of Oman rule at the coast.

Why the Oman Arabs wished to control the East African coast

Politically, the Oman Arabs wanted to exercise their political powers by

imposing themselves as the new rulers of the coast.

The Oman Arabs also wanted to impose taxes on the East African coastal

people so as to generate revenue for their country Oman.

The Oman Arabs wanted to rule the coast as compensation for helping the

coastal people defeat the Portuguese i.e. they believed that their help was

not for free.

The East African coast was free from conflicts compared to Oman which had

the Yorubi – Busaidi family conflicts.

The Oman Arabs wanted to control the coast to make sure that the

Portuguese did not return e.g in 1778 the Portuguese tried to

re-capture Fort Jesus which scared the Oman Arabs.

Mombasa which was under the Mazrui Arabs was rebellions to Oman rule,

therefore the Oman Arabs wanted to crush Mombasa and set an example

to other towns.

Economically, the Oman Arabs wanted to gain from the profitable Indian

Ocean trade e.g they wanted to control the gold wealth in Kilwa.

The coastal climate was favorable for agriculture compared to the arid

conditions in Oman.

The coast was blessed with fertile soils for agriculture hence the Oman Arabs

wanted to set up plantations.

The East African coast was also strategic enough with good natural harbors

which could allow big ships to anchor.

The Oman Arabs wanted to effectively exploit the cheap slave labour at the

coast i.e. they did not want to use fellow Muslims as workers.
 Socially, the Oman Arabs wanted to strengthen and spread Islam which had

greatly declined during the Portuguese rule.

The Oman Arabs wanted to maintain social and culture ties with their

Muslim brothers at the coast.

THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE COAST AND OMAN ARABS

(BUSAID - MAZRUI CONFLICTS)

In 1698, Fort Jesus fell in the hands of the Oman Arabs after chasing away

the Portuguese.

In 1741 a conflict arose between the Busaidi and Mazrui.

The Busaidi were Arabs from Oman

The Mazrui were the coastal Arabs mainly settled in the town of Mombasa.

Causes Of The Busaidi—

Mazrui Conflicts

The Busaidi family wanted to be recognized as the rulers of the coast which

the Mazrui never accepted.

They both wanted to control the lucrative Indian Ocean trade which

resulted into conflicts.

The Mazrui were tired of foreign rule and wanted independence.

The Mazrui had suffered a lot under the Portuguese and did not wish to be

under a new colonial master.

The Mazrui governors of Mombasa had declared themselves independent of

Oman rule and this was challenged by the Busaidi who looked at it as a

form of rebellion.
 The Mazrui at the coast never liked the appointment of Busaidi rulers e.g.

Mombasa saw no need of paying tribute to Oman.

The Mazrui governors were very proud and they believed that Mombasa

belonged to them even before coming of the Portuguese.

The Mazrui believed that the coast was theirs since they felt that the Busaidi

couldn’ t administer the coastal effectively.

The Mazrui had gained a lot of confidence after defeating the Portuguese in

1698 and hence they saw this as a step in regaining their independence.

Able leadership especially under Seyyid said led to the Busaidi – Mazrui

conflicts because he greatly organized the Oman Arabs to fight the

coastal Mazrui.

Mazrui fighters were assured of support from interior tribes like Nyika and

Kamba which gave them morale to fight for their independence.

Mazrui fighters had acquired guns due to their earlier trade contacts which

strengthened their army.

Mazrui fighters were united due to their strong element of Islam which

encouraged them to fight.

The Busaidi Arabs were involved in Yorubi-Busaidi conflicts back in Oman

which opportunity the Mazrui wanted to exploit to gain their

independence.

NB: When Seyyid said came to power, he managed to bring the coastal

struggles to an end.

Course of the Busaidi-Mazrui conflicts

In December 1698, Fort Jesus fell in the hands of the Oman Arabs after

chasing away the Portuguese.

In 1728, the Portuguese attempted to recapture the coast but were driven

out with the help of the Oman Arabs.

In 1741, the Yorubi Sultan Saif Ibin of Oman appointed Mohammed Ibin

Uthman of the Mazrui family to be the governor of Mombasa.

He was expected to be loyal to the ruler of Oman.

After the death of the Yorubi Sultan Ibin Saif, the Busaidi took over power

in Oman.

A new ruler of the Oman Empire called Sultan Ahmad Ibin Said was

installed.

The Mazrui governors at the coast and Mohammed Ibin Uthman of

Mombasa refused to recognize Sultan Ahmad Ibin Said’ s administration.

The Mazrui governors declared themselves independent because to them,

the Oman ruler was supposed to be from the Yorubi family and Busaidi

family.

Sultan Ahmad Ibin Said of Oman decided to wage war against the Mazrui

Arabs.

Mohammed Ibin Uthman the governor of Mombasa was killed in cold blood

which angered the Mazrui at the coast.

Ali Ibin Uthman, a brother to the murdered governor took over power as the

ruler of Mombasa and he was determined to defend the Mazrui power at

the coast.
In 1804, Sultan Ibin Seyyid Said of the Busaidi family took over power in

Oman.

Ali Ibin Uthman continued with the expansion of Mazrui influence at the

coast and by 18mk 07, it had stretched from Pangani to Malindi.

By this time, it was only Kilwa that was loyal to the Oman Arabs.

When Abdullah Ibin Ahmad took over power in Mombasa he tried to get

support from the British.

He found that the British had already signed an agreement with the new

Oman ruler Sultan Ibin Seyyid Said.

In 1817, Seyyid Said freed Pate and forbade all her subjects from trading

with the Mazrui in Mombasa.

He also ordered Zanzibar to liberate Pemba and Brava from Mazrui rule.

Seyyid said also attacked Pemba in 1822 and drove out the Mazrui

governor hence expanding the Busaidi influence.

In 1824, Seyyid Said personally commanded the forces that bombarded

Mombasa and almost brought Mazrui rule to an end.

Mazrui rulers finally accepted Oman rule after that defeat.

However, when Seyyid Said went back to Oman, the Mazrui governors again

stopped recognizing the Oman rule.

He returned in 1829 but he failed to defeat the Mazrui who had got support

from the Nyika in their struggle.

 It was Seyyid Said’ s son Khalid who captured Fort Jesus the headquarters

of the Mazrui and threw some of Mazrui family members and the

governor into the Indian Ocean.

In 1837, Seyyid Said tricked some of the Mazrui family members and took

them to the Persian Gulf where he starved them to death.

In 1840, Seyyid Said transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar to

completely end the power struggles at the coast.

THE REIGN OF SULTAN IBIN SEYYID SAID (1840-1856)

Seyyid Said was born in 1791 in Muscat the capital city of Oman.

He was born to Sultan Ibin Said Ahmad of the Busaidi family.

He came to power in 1804 when his father was killed in battle.

He transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1840.

Unfortunately, Seyyid Said died in 1856 having done much for the coast and

East Africa as a whole.

Why Sultan Ibn Seyyid Said transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar

Seyyid said wanted to be close to Mombasa because of its rebellious nature.

Seyyid Said had greatly admired the cool coastal climate.

The fertile soils also attracted Seyyid Said because they could support cloves

growing.

Zanzibar had good natural harbours which would allow big ships to land

easily.
 He wanted to control the lucrative Indian Ocean trade rather than leaving

it to his relatives who were corrupt and unreliable.

The East African coastal people were considered to be more loyal to Seyyid

Said than the people of Oman.

Political problems in Oman also forced Seyyid Said to shift his capital to

Zanzibar after the murder of his cousin Bedr Saif.

Seyyid Said also wanted to establish regular trade links between the East

African coast and the interior of East Africa.

Seyyid Said also wanted to exploit the cheap slave labour at the coast to use

on his clove plantation.

Seyyid Said also wanted to gain popularity and prestige as a ruler of two

territories at the same time.

Zanzibar also had a security advantage since it was an Island and it would

offer maximum protection naturally compared to Oman.

Seyyid Said wanted to end the Busaidi – Mazrui conflicts once and for all.

Zanzibar was strategically located as a market for goods and this would

enable him to control and expand the interior trade.

Seyyid Said also had the belief that the waters of Zanzibar were sweeter

than those of Oman and this forced him to shift his capital from Muscat

to Zanzibar.

He also wanted to check on the activities of the Indian Ocean sea pirates.

Religious persecutions in Oman forced him to shift his capital to Zanzibar.

Changes introduced by Seyyid Said in Zanzibar

Seyyid Said developed the clove industry in Zanzibar and today Zanzibar is

the leading producer of cloves.

He signed commercial treaties with European countries for example Britain

in 1839, France 1844, Hungary 1844, Germany and U.S.A which

attracted many foreign traders at the coast.

He transformed Zanzibar into an entre – port i.e. it became an

international market for traders from all parts of the world.

Encouraged trade with interior tribes of East Africa e.g. Yao, Nyamwezi and

Sukuma who always supplied slaves.

He fought sea pirates with the help of the British navy which brought about

peace and increased trade on the Indian Ocean.

He organized personal caravans into the interior of E.Africa to bring goods

to Zanzibar hence encouraging the development of long distance trade.

He invited the Indian Banyans to settle along the coast who advanced loans

to the Zanzibar is to go into the interior and buy commodities.

He also encouraged the use of small copper coins in trade to replace the

barter system trade.

He introduced the system of taxing all imports and exports as a means of

raising revenue.

His settlement also encouraged slave trade i.e. the interior was depopulated

as many people were taken to work on his clove plantations.

Encouraged Europeans to open up trading posts in Zanzibar to increase

trading activities e.g. in 1844 the Germans opened up one.

 Managed to end the quarrels that existed along the coast between the

Busaidi and Mazrui.

He attracted foreigners to Zanzibar for example Arabs, Indians, Europeans

and this created a population of mixed culture.

Seyyid Said was also involved in the signing of treaties to end slave trade and

slavery in East Africa for example in 1822 and 1845 he signed treaties

with the British.

Socially, Seyyid Said encouraged the spread of Islam and built many

Quaranic schools.

He also encouraged the spread of the Swahili culture along the coast and the

interior of E.Africa.

United coastal towns under one leadership.

He also encouraged use of Sharia law of administration and in justice.

Why did the Arabs have little interest in the interior of East Africa before 1500

A.D

They were mainly interested in spreading Islam at the coast hence no need

to penetrate into the interior.

African middlemen always brought goods to the coast and therefore no need

for Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

The Arabs lacked serious competition at the coast due to their small number

hence only concentrating at the coast.

Some came to the coast as political refugees and therefore did not want to

look for more trouble in the interior.

 They lacked the knowledge about the economic potential of the interior of

East Africa.

The Arabs also lacked the geographical knowledge about the interior of East

Africa and hence feared getting lost.

Language barrier also forced the Arabs to concentrate at the coast because

they could not easily communicate with the people in the interior.

Absence of well-developed transport means into the interior also forced the

Arabs to neglect the interior.

Tropical diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness also scared the Arabs

hence forcing them to stay at the coast.

Interior tribes didn’ t welcome the Arabs because they had not yet known

their importance.

Hostile tribes in the interior of East Africa also scared away the Arabs from

the interior.

Inter-tribal and civil wars were rampant in the interior and this created

insecurity which scared away the Arabs.

Wild animals like lions and thick forests also made the Arabs fear the

interior.

The good coastal climate also presented good living atmosphere for the

Arabs and they forgot about the interior.

Why did they finally develop interest in the interior of East Africa after 1500

A.D?

The Arabs developed the urge to exploit the abundant trade opportunities

in the interior.
Increased demand for interior goods forced the Arabs to go into the interior

and acquire the goods e.g. slaves.

The arrival of Seyyid Said in 1840 also led to increased Arab penetration

into the interior due to increased demand for slaves to work on his clove

plantations.

Presence of Indian banyans who gave traders loans to go into the interior for

goods also led to Arab penetration into the interior.

Arabs had got knowledge about the economic potential of East Africa’ s

interior which forced them to penetrate into the interior.

Prominent Arab traders like Tippu-Tip had already settled in the interior

and therefore invited others into the interior.

African leaders like Muteesa I of Buganda and Mirambo of the Nyamwezi

invited many Arabs into the interior due to the need for guns.

Population increase at the coast also forced the Arabs to penetrate into the

interior to occupy the free land.

The desire to spread Islam in the interior also forced the Arabs to penetrate

into the interior of East Africa.

The stiff competition for trade items at the coast also forced the Arabs to

penetrate into the interior and acquire cheaper goods.

The need to do away with middlemen also led to the Arab penetration into

the interior so as to earn more profits.

The presence of guns also ensured security for the Arabs hence they started

venturing into the interior.

 The coming of the Portuguese also led to competition for trade control at the

coast hence leading to the migration of the Arabs into the interior.

Transport means had been well developed in the interior e.g. use of donkeys

and this forced the Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

Why did the Arabs have little interest in the interior of East Africa before 1500

A.D

They were mainly interested in spreading Islam at the coast hence no need

to penetrate into the interior.

African middlemen always brought goods to the coast and therefore no need

for Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

The Arabs lacked serious competition at the coast due to their small number

hence only concentrating at the coast.

Some came to the coast as political refugees and therefore did not want to

look for more trouble in the interior.

They lacked the knowledge about the economic potential of the interior of

East Africa.

The Arabs also lacked the geographical knowledge about the interior of East

Africa and hence feared getting lost.

Language barrier also forced the Arabs to concentrate at the coast because

they could not easily communicate with the people in the interior.

Absence of well-developed transport means into the interior also forced the

Arabs to neglect the interior.

Tropical diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness also scared the Arabs

hence forcing them to stay at the coast.

 Interior tribes didn’ t welcome the Arabs because they had not yet known

their importance.

Hostile tribes in the interior of East Africa also scared away the Arabs from

the interior.

Inter-tribal and civil wars were rampant in the interior and this created

insecurity which scared away the Arabs.

Wild animals like lions and thick forests also made the Arabs fear the

interior.

The good coastal climate also presented good living atmosphere for the

Arabs and they forgot about the interior.

Why did they finally develop the interior of East Africa after 1500 A.D?

The Arabs developed the urge to exploit the abundant trade opportunities

in the interior.

Increased demand for interior goods forced the Arabs to go into the interior

and acquire the goods e.g. slaves.

The arrival of Seyyid Said in 1840 also led to increased Arab penetration

into the interior due to increased demand for slaves to work on his clove

plantations.

Presence of Indian banyans who gave traders loans to go into the interior for

goods also led to Arab penetration into the interior.

Arabs had got knowledge about the economic potential of East Africa’ s

interior which forced them to penetrate into the interior.

Prominent Arab traders like Tippu-Tip had already settled in the interior

and therefore invited others into the interior.

 African leaders like Muteesa I of Buganda and Mirambo of the Nyamwezi

invited many Arabs into the interior due to the need for guns.

Population increase at the coast also forced the Arabs to penetrate into the

interior to occupy the free land.

The desire to spread Islam in the interior also forced the Arabs to penetrate

into the interior of East Africa.

The stiff competition for trade items at the coast also forced the Arabs to

penetrate into the interior and acquire cheaper goods.

The need to do away with middlemen also led to the Arab penetration into

the interior so as to earn more profits.

The presence of guns also ensured security for the Arabs hence they started

venturing into the interior.

The coming of the Portuguese also led to competition for trade control at the

coast hence leading to the migration of the Arabs into the interior.

Transport means had been well developed in the interior e.g. use of donkeys

and this forced the Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

Why did the Arabs have little interest in the interior of East Africa before 1500

A.D

They were mainly interested in spreading Islam at the coast hence no need

to penetrate into the interior.

African middlemen always brought goods to the coast and therefore no need

for Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

The Arabs lacked serious competition at the coast due to their small number

hence only concentrating at the coast.

 Some came to the coast as political refugees and therefore did not want to

look for more trouble in the interior.

They lacked the knowledge about the economic potential of the interior of

East Africa.

The Arabs also lacked the geographical knowledge about the interior of East

Africa and hence feared getting lost.

Language barrier also forced the Arabs to concentrate at the coast because

they could not easily communicate with the people in the interior.

Absence of well-developed transport means into the interior also forced the

Arabs to neglect the interior.

Tropical diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness also scared the Arabs

hence forcing them to stay at the coast.

Interior tribes didn’ t welcome the Arabs because they had not yet known

their importance.

Hostile tribes in the interior of East Africa also scared away the Arabs from

the interior.

Inter-tribal and civil wars were rampant in the interior and this created

insecurity which scared away the Arabs.

Wild animals like lions and thick forests also made the Arabs fear the

interior.

The good coastal climate also presented good living atmosphere for the

Arabs and they forgot about the interior.

Why did they finally develop interest in the interior of East Africa after 1500

A.D?
The Arabs developed the urge to exploit the abundant trade opportunities

in the interior.

Increased demand for interior goods forced the Arabs to go into the interior

and acquire the goods e.g. slaves.

The arrival of Seyyid Said in 1840 also led to increased Arab penetration

into the interior due to increased demand for slaves to work on his clove

plantations.

Presence of Indian banyans who gave traders loans to go into the interior for

goods also led to Arab penetration into the interior.

Arabs had got knowledge about the economic potential of East Africa’ s

interior which forced them to penetrate into the interior.

Prominent Arab traders like Tippu-Tip had already settled in the interior

and therefore invited others into the interior.

African leaders like Muteesa I of Buganda and Mirambo of the Nyamwezi

invited many Arabs into the interior due to the need for guns.

Population increase at the coast also forced the Arabs to penetrate into the

interior to occupy the free land.

The desire to spread Islam in the interior also forced the Arabs to penetrate

into the interior of East Africa.

The stiff competition for trade items at the coast also forced the Arabs to

penetrate into the interior and acquire cheaper goods.

The need to do away with middlemen also led to the Arab penetration into

the interior so as to earn more profits.

 The presence of guns also ensured security for the Arabs hence they started

venturing into the interior.

The coming of the Portuguese also led to competition for trade control at the

coast hence leading to the migration of the Arabs into the interior.

Transport means had been well developed in the interior e.g. use of donkeys

and this forced the Arabs to penetrate into the interior.

MIGRATIONS IN EAST AFRICA

From 1000A.D, East Africa received many groups of people coming from

different directions. The new invaders included;

i) Cushites and the plain/highland nilotes from Ethiopia

ii) Bantu from Niger / Congo Basin

iii) Luo (River-lake-Nilotics) from southern Sudan (Bahr-el Ghazel)

iv) Ngoni from South Africa

THE BANTU MIGRATION

Origins

Bantu is a linguistic word describing a group of people who speak a similar

language.

They have a root word/suffix ‘ Ntu/Ndu’ meaning a person.

They belong to the Negroid family.

Their origins and migrations are still unclear among historians.

Some historians believe that the Bantu came from West Africa around the

Cameroon highlands.
 However, most historians believe that they came from the Katanga region

in South Eastern Congo.

Their migration was gradual and seasonal i.e. spread over a long time.

Believed to have entered East Africa by the first millennium i.e. 1000 A.D.

They entered East Africa under different groups and clans.

They entered East Africa through the Western part using different routes

The Bantu form the largest group of people in E.Africa.

They include tribes like, Banyankole, Baganda, Bakiga, Bagishu, Chagga,

Nyamwezi, Kikuyu, Luyia, and Pokomo.

The major reason for the migration was search for fertile soils that could

support Agriculture.

Causes of Bantu migrations

Population pressure; The Bantu were forced to migrate from their cradle

land to E.A because the population had increased and they were

searching for settlement in new areas.

Search for fertile lands; since the Bantu were farmers they ended up

migrating to E.Africa in search of new areas with fertile soils for

Agriculture.

Internal conflicts; The Bantu migrated to E.Africa due to misunderstandings

with in their communities e.g. witchcraft and cannibalism.

Misfortunes; it is also assumed that the Bantu cradle land witnessed

misfortunes that claimed many people and their animals thus the

fortune tellers directed the Bantu to move to safer areas.

 Land-pressure .Due to population explosion, the pressure increased on land

resulting into land conflicts and the defeated groups ended up migrating

into E.Africa in search of new lands for settlement.

Natural calamities for example famine, drought, earthquakes, floods and

diseases. These forced the Bantu to search for new areas for settlement

and ended up in E.Africa.

Adventurism /Love for adventure .The youth may have wanted to explore

and adventure into new lands where they could practice their skill of iron

working.

Unsuitable geographical climate. The climate of the Congo forest was

inhabitable and this necessitated moving of Bantu into E.Africa.

External pressure. The Bantu were constantly attacked by their neighbors

and this forced them to look for new areas which were free from civil

wars.

Poor leadership. Some of the Bantu migrants experienced poor leadership in

their cradle land which forced them to migrate to E.Africa so as to

exercise their leadership skills.

The need to export their iron working culture some people maintained that

the Bantu migrate wanted to export their Iron working culture and

search for market for their Iron products.

Search for water and pasture since the Bantu were animal keepers they

migrated to E.A in search of new grass land and water for their animals.

The band wagon influence some of the Bantu simply moved to E.A because

they saw their friends plus relatives migrating.

Course/organisation of the Bantu migrations

The Bantu entered E.A in different groups each using its own route.

The first group was the western Bantu (Interlacustrine Bantu).

This was the first group of the Bantu to migrate into East Africa.

They formed the largest group of the Bantu to migrate to East Africa.

They entered East Africa through the West from the Niger-Congo basin.

They used the route between Lake Albert and Lake Edward.

They settled around the North West shores of Lake Victoria.

They are believed to have migrated between (1000—

1300 A.D).

The Bantu in this group gave rise to such as Baganda, Banyoro, Batoro, and

Bakiga.

The other Bantu moved to the Eastern and Western Kenya giving birth to

Bagishu and Luyia.

The central and Northern Tanzania Bantu;

They formed the second group of the Bantu to enter E.A.

They also entered East Africa through the West from the Niger-Congo basin.

They used the route between L. Edward and Tanganyika.

They formed some tribes like the Sukuma Nyamwezi, Zinza, and Gogo.

Their migration took place between 1000—

1300 A.D.

The coastal and highland Bantu.

They are also known as the Eastern Bantu.

They settled along the coast and highland hence the name coastal and

highland Bantu.

They are a continuation of the Central and Northern Tanzania Bantu.

They crossed the dry Tanganyika plateau between 1000 – 1300 A.D.

These comprise of that group of Bantu that continued with their migration

and crossed the Taita hills and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The Chagga, Taita, Pare decided to settle around these hills permanently

and came to be known as the highland Bantu.

The Pokomo, Giryama, Nyika and Segeju moved north wards along the

coast to Shungwaya.

At Shungwaya, there was dispersal due to pressure from the Galla and

Somali community.

Due to pressure, the Nyika moved southwards along the coast.

These came to be known as the coastal Bantu.

Another group of the Eastern Bantu was forced away from Shungwaya to

the Kenyan highland.

This group included the Chuka/Kikuyu, Kamba and Embu.

The southern Tanzania Bantu.

These formed the fourth group of the Bantu migration into E.A.

Their migration took place between 1000—

1300A.D.

They entered East Africa through the West from the Niger-Congo basin.

They used the route between Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika.
 They settled in Southern Tanganyika in areas such as Ruvuma, Songea and

Mbeya.

They included Hehe, Yao, Pogoro, Zaramo, Makonde, Bena, Ngindo, Gogo

and Rufigi.

The Ngoni: Around 1840, another Bantu group moved into East Africa and

these were the Nguni who came from South Africa and formed the last

wave of the Bantu migration into E. Africa.

Effects of the Bantu migrations

They introduced iron working and use of iron tools like hoes, pangas, and

axes.

The Bantu introduced the growing of crops on a large scale with the help of

iron tools.

Population increased in the area were the Bantu settled this also meant that

there was increased food production.

The Bantu also introduced new food crops in E.A e.g. Bananas, Beans, Yams

e.t.c today many tribes still depend on these food crops.

They introduced new farming methods e.g. mulching, shifting cultivation,

irrigation.

They introduced new languages in E.A for example Luganda, Lusoga, and

Runyankole.

The Bantu absorbed most of the tribes they met in E.A especially the

Bushmen and Cushites. Some who refused to be absorbed migrated to

other areas.
 The Bantu in some cases abandoned their cultures and copied those of the

people they met, e.g. circumcision among the Bagishu, age set system,

pastoralism.

The Bantu displaced some people in E.A. especially those in fertile areas e.g.

Ngoni displaced the Yao in their fertile lands in southern Tanzania.

They introduced a new system of building permanent houses e.g. they built

round grass thatched houses.

There were intermarriages between the Bantu who settled along the coast

with the coastal Arabs giving birth to the Swahili people.

The Bantu introduced a new system of centralized administration in E.A

which led to the formation of kingdoms e.g. Buganda, Ankole, Bunyoro,

Nyamwezi e.t.c.

The Bantu led to clashes over land with the communities that they met in

E.A.

THE LUO MIGRATION

Origins

The Luo are also referred to as the River-lake nilotes.

They originated from Bahr el- Ghazel in southern Sudan.

They are known as River –Lake Nilotes because they settled along Rivers and

lakes.

Their migration took place between 1350 – 1500 A.D.

They entered East Africa through the Northern part of Uganda following the

Albert Nile.
They included tribes like Alur, Langi, Acholi, Japadhola and Ja-luo of Western

Kenya.

Causes of the Luo migration

Search for water and pasture, the Luo migrated from their cradle land

because they lacked enough water sources and pasture for their animals.

Population pressure: Their cradle land was over crowded and due to over

grazing of their animals in Bahr-el-Ghazel.

Internal conflicts: Some Luo migrated to E.A because they were constantly

included in civil wars over land and animals.

External-conflicts: There was a lot of pressure from their neighbors

especially the Galla from Ethiopia which forced the Luo to migrate into

E. Africa.

The hostile climate of the southern Sudan also led to the Luo migration into

E. Africa. i.e. prolonged drought.

The Luo also had the desire to export their political culture and organization.

E.g. some of them wanted to exercise their political rights.

Band Wagon effect: i.e. some of the Luo migrants simply migrated as a result

of seeing their relatives moving.

Love for adventure: Some Luo migrants especially the youth were interested

in knowing what was happening in other areas.

Natural calamities: e.g. drought and famine also led to Luo migration into

E. Africa.

The southward movement of the Sahara desert also led to the Luo migration

into E. Africa.
 Some historians attribute the Luo migration to over flooding since they lived

along the banks of R Nile.

Misfortunes and epidemics e.g. sleeping sickness and Nagana led to the Luo

migration into E. Africa.

The Luo also migrated to look for fertile areas that could support agriculture

since some of them were farmers.

The Natural aggressive tendencies of the Luo also led to their migration into

E.A so as to conquer the weak people.

The need to settle around water bodies and rivers since they did some fishing

also forced them to move.

Decline Of Bunyoro

Decline Of Bunyoro, The Kingdom had grown too big which made it very

hard for effective administration.

Weak leadership especially after Omukama Kabalega also led to the decline

of Bunyoro.

The steady growth of Bunyoro’ s neighbours e.g. Buganda, Ankole, Toro also

weakened her.

Internal conflicts within Bunyoro also lead to her decline e.g. vassal states

constantly revolted against Bunyoro.

The loose confederation of chiefdoms and break away of areas such as

Buganda, Toro and Ankole also meant Lose of revenue for the Kingdom.

The Iron rich deposits of Kooki were taken away by Buganda which meant

that Bunyoro would not make enough arrows and spears for defense.
 Frequent revolts by the Bunyoro princes also weakened the kingdom for

example Omukama Kasagama established the Kingdom of Toro.

In the late 19th century Buganda started trading with the Arabs who

supplied her with guns to strengthen her army that managed to defeat

Bunyoro.

The arrival of the British increased Buganda’ s power and supported her

campaigns that led to the final defeat of Bunyoro.

Famine and hunger also led to massive loss of lives which reduced the

population of the kingdom.

Diseases and natural calamities like floods also led to the decline of the

kingdom.

Course/organisation of the Luo migration

The Luo left Bahr-el-Ghazel around the 15th century. They then moved

southwards following the River Nile under their leader Olum.

Around the 16th century, the Luo settled at Pubungu (present day

Pakwach). Therefore Pubungu became their area of dispersal/separation.

From Pubungu the Luo split into two groups. Each group was under its own

ruler and moved into a different direction.

One group led by Gipir moved westwards, crossed the Nile and settled in the

Northern parts of Lake Albert.

They intermarried with the Lendu, Okebo and Madi to form the Alur

presently found in Nebbi district.

Another group under Labongo moved southwards and settled at Pawir

(Chope) in Northern Bunyoro kingdom.

 One group still under Labongo that remained at Chope, moved southwards

to come into contact with the Bachwezi to form the Luo-Babito Dynasty.

Labongo left Chope and moved East wards to form Acholi people presently

found in Gulu and Lira.

Another group of the Luo moved eastwards from the Pubungu through

Acholi land, Lango, Teso land up to Eastern Uganda in the Budama area.

They gave birth to the present Japadhola found in Tororo District.

However some of the Luo continued into Western Kenya e.g. the Joka—
Jok

moved directly from Pubungu and settled in the Lamogi hills of the

Nyanza province.

The Jok—
Omollo migrated through Busoga, Samia and Bukedi and finally

settled in the Nyanza region to form the Samia of Western Kenya.

The Jok-Owiny moved from Pubungu and settled temporarily in Budama

before finally settling in Singoma Alego in the Nyanza province of

Western Kenya.

The Abasuba were the last group of the Luo to move into Kenya.

These were refugees from Buganda, Busoga and Ssese Islands and they

settled in the southern Nyanza province.

Effects of the Luo migration

There were inter-marriages between the Luo and the local people leading to

the formation of new tribes i.e. Alur, Langi Japadhola.

The coming of the Luo led to the formation of new kingdoms which were all

using centralized system of administration e.g. Buganda, Bunyoro and

Ankole.
The Luo introduced chiefdoms in Northern Uganda and western Kenya e.g.

Rwotship in Northern Uganda was a Luo creation.

The coming of the Luo led to the final collapse of Bunyoro-Kitara Empire /

Chwezi Empire and led to the formation of the Luo-Bito Dynasty.

The Luo introduced pet names (Empaako) erg Akiiki Abwoli, Amooti, Apuuli,

Atwooki etc especially in Bunyoro and Toro.

The Luo introduced new crops in E.A e.g. millet, sorghum, groundnuts which

are staple food for many tribes in Western, Northern and Eastern

Uganda.

The Luo introduced new economic activities in E.A e.g. nomadic pastoralism

and also introduced the short horned cattle.

The population of E.A increased as a result of the Luo influx and this created

conflicts over land.

The Luo put to use what would have been idle land due to population

increase.

The Luo also developed trade within E.A because they introduced new

commodities e.g spears and arrows.

The Luo introduced royal burial grounds for the kings e.g. in Bunyoro the jaw

bones of the Omukama have to be removed before burial and buried

separately.

The Luo led to the civil wars increasing in E.A as a result of their contacts

with the local people of E. Africa.

Many people were displaced from E.A to other regions as a result of the Luo

migration into Tanzania to form Karagwe kingdom.

 In Bunyoro, they introduced new items of the royal regalia e.g. royal crown,

royal fire, and royal drums e.t.c

NGONI MIGRATION (1820—

1860).

The Ngoni were close relatives of the Zulu and Ndwandwe people from South

Africa.

They were Bantu who belonged to the negroid race.

They originally lived in Natal province in the south East of the Drakensburg

Mountains.

The Ngoni were Nguni speaking people.

They are believed to have left South Africa around 1820.

They left South Africa because of Shaka Zulu’ s expansionist wars.

This was during the Mfecane period where there was a lot of war and

suffering in South Africa.

The Ngoni were forced to flee and moved northwards.

They left South Africa under different leaders e.g. Zwangendaba, Maputo

and Zulugama.

They moved through central Africa and finally settled in East Africa

(southern Tanganyika).

Causes of Ngoni migrations

Shaka created a period of wars (Mfecane) that forced many people to

migrate including the Ngoni.

 Population pressure in their cradle land also led to the Ngoni migration into

East Africa.

Internal conflicts e.g. land and clan conflicts also led to the Ngoni migration.

The Ngoni were farmers and therefore migrated in search of new lands that

were fertile to support agriculture for example Ufipa plateau.

The influence of good leaders e.g. Zulugama, Zwangendaba, Maputo etc also

led to the migration of the Ngoni into East Africa.

Love for adventure also forced the Ngoni to migrate especially the youth who

wanted to explore new areas North of River Limpopo.

Misfortunes and natural calamities e.g. diseases, floods, e.t.c also led to the

Ngoni Migration.

The ruthless army training of Shaka Zulu also forced some of the Ngoni

fighters to escape to East Africa.

The Boer invasion of South Eastern Africa from the cape made the Ngoni lose

their land which forced them to move to East Africa.

The need to export their culture also led to Ngoni migration into East Africa

especially by the youth.

Band Wagon effect i.e. some of the Ngoni Migrants moved into East Africa

after seeing their relatives and friends moving.

Search for water and pasture since the Ngoni kept animals they migrated

into East Africa in search of fresh pastures and water for their animals.

Course of the Ngoni migrations.

The Ngoni left South Africa in two (2) distinct groups.

They left around 1820 and each group took a different direction.

The first and biggest group was led by chief Zwangendaba.

They moved through central Africa crossed R. Zambezi, traveled through

Malawi and finally settled around Ufipa were they destroyed the small

settlements.

The second and smaller group was led by chief Maputo.

It moved through Mozambique, Eastern Malawi and finally settled around

Songea among the Yao.

This group was known as the Maseko Ngoni.

Around 1848, Zwangendaba died and his group split into 5 small groups.

Three of these groups went back to central Africa settling in present day

Malawi and Zambia.

The two remaining groups settled permanently in Tanganyika and these

were the Tuta and Gwangara Ngoni.

The Tuta Ngoni moved northwards to the lands of the Holoholo where they

were defeated.

They continued up to Nyamwezi land in 1850 where they captured a young

Mirambo.

The Gwangara Ngoni led by Zulugama moved East wards destroying the

Hehe.

By 1860, they had reached Songea where they clashed with the Maseko

Ngoni whom they defeated and forced them to flee.

The defeated Maseko Ngoni split into two groups.

 One group under chief Maputo moved southwards crossed river Ruvuma and

finally settled in Mozambique.

The other group fled northwards to Morogoro and these came to be known

as the Mbuga Ngoni.

During their movements the Ngoni always captured people.

The boys were absorbed into their army and girls were married off and this

swelled their number.

Reasons why the Ngoni were successful against the people of E.Africa

They had a strong army e.g. they always recruited captured boys into their

army which strengthened their army.

The Ngoni had superior military organization which they had copied from

Shaka.

Their army was divided into battalions or regiments called Impis for

effectiveness in battle.

The Ngoni always used Guerilla tactics and this would scare other societies

which easily gave up.

The Ngoni had superior weapons e.g. the short stabbing spear (Assegai) and

they had shields.

They had superior tactics of fighting e.g. they surrounded the enemy using

the cow-horn method.

Ngoni fighters were professionals who had received a lot of military training

and were always free from duties at home.

The Ngoni were determined to remain in East Africa because they feared to

go back to South Africa in case of defeat.

The Ngoni invaders were fully united under their leaders and this helped

them to defeat the East African societies with a lot of ease.

The Ngoni fighters had a lot of experience in warfare because they had

participated in large scale wars during their stay in South Africa.

The Ngoni always used surprise attacks e.g. at night and on market days

hence always caught their enemies unaware.

The East African societies were disunited and couldn’ t offer any support to

their neighbours against the Ngoni.

E.African societies had already been weakened by slave trade which had

claimed all the strong men.

East Africa had also been weakened by attacks from Segeju and Zimba man

eaters who also reduced on the population.

Ngoni fighters were never affected by famine because they always looted for

food wherever they passed.

Ngoni also used the scorched Earth policy on those that tried to resist them

e.g. Burning villages, food stores, and huts and scared others who simply

gave in without a fight.

Most of the Ngoni enemies were weak and small societies that were

disorganized and therefore could not challenge the Ngoni military might.

The East African societies had poor economies that could not sustain the

fights against the Ngoni.

 The East Africans had inferior weapons that could not compete with those

of the Ngoni.

Effects of the Ngoni Migration

Their migration created a period of wars in areas that were previously

peaceful e.g. the Ufipa communities were destroyed and devastated.

The Ngoni migration resulted into the spread of epidemic diseases in the

southern and central Tanganyika e.g. smallpox and Malaria.

Their migration created a new generation of war lords and leaders e.g.

Nyungu ya mawe and Mirambo.

There was increase in slave trade because of the Ngoni confusion, Chaos and

disorganizations.

The Ngoni spread their culture e.g. most people who were captured and

absorbed by the Ngoni copied their Nguni language.

The Ngoni invasion also disrupted the long distance trade caravans especially

along the Southern route which was dominated by the Yao.

The Ngoni invasion led to the formation of warrior groups e.g. The Maviti

and Ruga Ruga .These were bandits who terrorized southern and central

Tanganyika.

The Ngoni invasion led to the people of southern Tanganyika losing their land

to the Ngoni.

There was population increase in Southern Tanganyika were they settled e.g.

among the Yao.

Famine broke out in many societies since no farming and harvesting could

take place because of the Ngoni raids.

 Many people copied the Military tactics i.e. cow horn method and adopted

their weapons e.g. Assegai (short stabbing spear) for defense.

Their migration led to the decline of some states e.g. Bena and Sangu because

they never had the capacity to resist the Ngoni aggression.

The Ngoni raids led to heavy loss of lives especially those that tried to resist

their movement e.g. the Yao.

There was deculturalisation and detribalisation e.g. the Ngoni displaced

people from their original homelands making them lose their culture.

THE RISE OF KINGDOMS

This is the area surrounding Lake Victoria.

Many Kingdoms flourished in this region and the most important of these were

Bunyoro Kitara, Bunyoro, Buganda, Ankole, Toro, Karagwe, and Wanga.

BATEMBUZI

The Batembuzi were the first to inhabit the interlacustrine region.

Their origins are not clear and are surrounded in myths and legends.

Traditions in western Uganda suggest the Tembuzi fell from heaven.

They were semi gods and were able to perform miracles.

The Tembuzi couldn’ t die but just disappeared and went back to heaven at

the end of their earthly life.

The Tembuzi dynasty is believed to have been founded by Ruhanga (creator

or god) assisted by his brother Nkya.

 Ruhanga had no sons but Nkya had four, namely Kairu, Kahima, Kakama –

Twale and Kintu.

Kairu became the ancestor of cultivators, Kahima the ancestor of herders

and Kakama – Twale the ancestor of rulers.

Local traditions claim that Ruhanga and Kintu went back to heaven.

Upon Ruhanga’ s ascending to heaven, Kakama – Twale took over the

kingdom.

Kakama – Twale later disappeared to heaven and was succeeded by his son

Baba who was later succeeded by Ngonzaki.

Ngonzaki was succeeded by Isaza who was recorded as the last ruler of the

Tembuzi.

When Isaza disappeared, his gate keeper – Bukuku imposed himself as the

ruler but people refused to recognize him as their leader.

The Tembuzi were farmers growing mainly cereals and also kept animals.

They also slept in grass thatched huts.

This Kingdom lasted for 4 to 5 generations between 1200 – 1350 A.D.

The Tembuzi divided their Kingdom into Ssazas each under a chief.

They introduced the succession system in Bunyoro-Kitara.

After the collapse of the Tembuzi dynasty, the Chwezi took over the

interlacustrine region.

THE CHWEZI RULE (1350 – 1500 A.D)

Origins
 Their origin is not clear.

Most of what is known about them is derived from myths and oral

traditions.

The Bachwezi were the successors to the Batembuzi.

They were also semi gods and wandering pastoralists.

Some historians believe that they were Galla or Cushitic people from

Ethiopia.

Others suggested that they must have been Greeks, Portuguese or possibly

Egyptians.

Others claim that they were probably Bantu speaking people.

They were believed to have entered Uganda through the North or North

East.

Unlike the Tembuzi, they were true human beings.

They were tall and light skinned people.

They were demi-gods who possessed super natural powers and performed

miracles.

They were pastoralists and mainly kept the long horned cattle.

They were known by various names e.g. Chwezi, Tutsi, Hinda and Hima.

The Bachwezi formed the Bunyoro-Kitara Empire.

The first ruler of the Bachwezi was Ndahura and their last ruler was

Wamara.

Organisation of the Chwezi empire

Political organization

The Bachwezi were organized under one central authority i.e. they had a

centralized monarch.

The overall leader of the Bachwezi had the title Omukama.

Omukama had absolute powers to life and death.

The empire was divided into small states or provinces, districts and counties

each under a chief.

The chiefs were close relatives of the Omukama and formed a council of

representatives.

Bigobyamugyenyi was the capital of Bunyoro-Kitara Empire.

The rulers lived in reed palaces with palace officials, Women and Slave

artisans

The Chwezi palaces were protected by enclosures called Ebirembo.

The Chwezi Empire had a large standing army that fought using spears,

bows and arrows.

The Chwezi army also dug ditches around their capital and cattle kraals for

purposes of protection.

The Chwezi had a Royal Regalia which included the royal crown, royal drum

and spears.

These were symbols of power respected by everyone.

Social Organisation

The Bachwezi had two classes of people in society i.e. the Bahima and Bairu.
Bairu were cultivators while Bahima were pastoralists and rulers.

They built grass thatched huts smeared with cow dung and decorated inside

with a variety of hand crafts.

They were great sportsmen who spent their free time playing games e.g.

Omweso and wrestling.

They were great hunters who used long spears.

They built reed palaces for the Omukama to stay in.

Religiously, they believed in many gods.

They had many strange and super natural powers and could even disappear

when annoyed.

Economic Organisation

They were a pastoral group who mainly kept the long horned cattle.

The Chwezi were also farmers who grew coffee, beans and millet.

The Chwezi also carried out Iron working and made implements like hoes,

pangas and spears.

They were also involved in pottery and made round bowls; Jars and shallow

basins.

Basket weaving also came with them.

The bark cloth industry also formed part of their economy.

They also made cow-hide sandals.

They involved themselves in barter trade with their neighbors exchanging

Iron implements and salt for food.

The Decline Of Chwezi Empire

The empire had grown too big to be effectively administered.

The empire lacked strong and capable rulers especially after the death of

Omukama Wamara.

Misfortunes e.g. death of the darling cow Bihogo scared the Bachwezi who

were forced to migrate.

Wide spread internal rebellions especially from the Bantu also led to the

decline of the Chwezi empire.

Epidemics like Small pox and Malaria claimed many of their animals since

they were a pastoral community and they ended up migrating to other

areas

Famine also broke out in the region forcing many people to leave the area

in search of new areas that could provide them with food.

The Chwezi rulers were greedy and oppressive which annoyed their subjects

hence creating rebellions within the empire.

The Chwezi also lost their popularity especially after people had realized that

they were ordinary human beings not semi-gods which undermined

their power.

Conflicts among the various princes over power also weakened their hold on

power and influence.

Several communities broke away from the Chwezi empire for example

Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole leading to the decline of their power and

influence.
 The Luo invasion is what finally broke the backbone of the Chwezi Empire i.e.

the Luo set up the Luo-Bito Dynasty and forced the Chwezi to flee in

different directions.

The importance of the Bachwezi in the History of E.Africa

They introduced the centralized system of governance which was later

adopted in many societies.

They introduced hierarchical system of administration whereby

administration was broken down into smaller units.

The Chwezi are also remembered for introducing the idea of a standing

army in the kingdom.

The Chwezi also introduced the system of having a royal regalia comprising

of the symbols of power in a community e.g. drums, spear e.t.c

The Bachwezi were the founders of ancient Bunyoro- Kitara Kingdom which

spread from Western Uganda to Western Kenya and Northern

Tanganyika.

They introduced games which are still popular in Uganda today e.g. local

wrestling and Omweso.

The Bachwezi also introduced coffee and banana growing in E.Africa which

are still cash crops.

The Chwezi introduced the idea of palace officials, royal women and slave

artisans who were trained in administration.

The Chwezi are also remembered for their super natural powers i.e. they

were a strange group of people who performed miracles and could

disappear when annoyed.

 They introduced a religion called Abashomi which is still evident up to today

in Western Uganda particularly in Bunyoro.

They built their capital at Bigobyamugenyi which is still a tourist attraction

for Uganda today.

The Bachwezi introduced the idea of royal enclosures (Ebirembo) in palaces

such as Bigo, Mubende, Ntusi and kibengo. These were mainly for

protecting cattle.

The Chwezi also introduced the idea of grass thatched houses smeared with

cow-dung and decorated with a variety of handcrafts inside.

The Chwezi also introduced social classes in society especially in Western

Uganda where the Bairu are the cultivators and subjects while the

Bahima are the cattle keepers and ruling class.

They introduced iron working and they made implements such as spears,

Pangas, Hoes e.t.c.

Discovered hot springs e.g. Kitagata in Western Uganda.

They also developed the art and craft industry e.g. they introduced basket

weaving.

They also introduced bark cloth manufacture.

BUNYORO KINGDOM

Origins

Bunyoro was under Bito rulers and sprung up after the collapse of the Chwezi

Empire.
Local traditions state that Isingoma Rukidi Mpuga was the founder of Bunyoro

kingdom.

Bunyoro was a loose confederation of provinces or Ssazas ruled by the chiefs.

The growth and expansion of Bunyoro greatly depended on its rulers i.e.

Abakama e.g. Omukama Kamurasi (1852- 1869) and Omukama Kabalega

(1870 – 1897).

The Kingdom stretched as far as Buganda, Toro and Ankole in the west to

Busoga in the East and West Nile in the North.

Factors for the growth and expansion of Bunyoro

Presence of able leadership i.e. Bunyoro was gifted with strong, active and

ambitious leaders for example Omukama Kamurasi and Omukama

Kabalega who expanded the Kingdom.

The Kingdom had a highly developed centralized system of administration

which ensured easy administration.

The strong army of Abarusula built by Kabalega also contributed to the

growth of Bunyoro. It was armed with guns got through trade with the

Khartoumers and Coastal Arabs.

Bunyoro was also gifted with fertile soils which ensured constant supply of

Bananas, Yams and millet to sustain the population.

Her good climate with heavy rainfall also supported agriculture to sustain

the population.

Bunyoro also expanded because it constantly raided her weak neighbours for

example Ankole, Toro and Busoga.

 Bunyoro also participated in trade with her neighbours and also

participated in the long distance trade (L.D.T) with the Arabs and

Khartoumers where she got guns.

Bunyoro had Iron deposits and through Iron working she was able to make

spears and arrows for defense.

Bunyoro also had plenty of salt deposits which she used to exchange with her

neighbours.

The decline of the Chwezi dynasty also favoured the growth and expansion

of Bunyoro Kingdom. This gave a chance to Rukidi Mpuga to start up his

own

The Structure/Organisation Of Bunyoro Kingdom

Politically

The kingdom had a centralized system of administration with the

Omukama as the political head.

Omukama had absolute powers i.e. to appoint, promote and dismiss any of

his chiefs.

The Kingdom was divided into provinces, districts and counties each under

a chief for effective administration.

Most of the chiefs came from distinguished Families and they ruled on behalf

of the Omukama.

Most of the chiefs resided at the Omukama‘ s palace to ensure their loyalty

to him.

The Chiefs had to provide the Omukama with gifts such as cattle, beer,

grains and men to serve in the army and at the palace.

 Chiefs were also responsible for tax collection and ensuring law and order

within the kingdom.

Initially, Bunyoro had no standing army and therefore all able bodied men

would be called upon to form an army and the General would be

appointed by the Omukama.

The army had the duty of defending the Kingdom against external threats,

expanding the kingdom, carrying out raids and spying on the

Omukama's enemies

Social Organisation

The Banyoro had classes in their society with the Bahima as the rulers and

the Bairu as the Subject class.

Religiously the Banyoro believed in a supreme being called Ruhanga (God)

who was believed to be the creator of all things.

Apart from Ruhanga, the Banyoro had many other small gods and each clan

and family had its own favourite god.

The Banyoro had national gods like Wamara god of plenty, Mugizi –god of

Lake Albert and Muhigo the god of war.

Sacrifices were always offered to these gods to please them.

The Banyoro also had royal regalia which included drums, spears, animal

skins, the throne, royal crown and these were highly respected as

symbols of power.

The Banyoro were always united by a similar culture, language and way of

dressing.

Economic Organisation.
Cattle rearing were the main economic activity of the Bahima and the

herdsmen always moved with their cattle in search of pastures and

water.

Agriculture or crop growing was practiced by the lower class of peasants

(Bairu) and they mainly grew millet.

Salt mining was another economic activity in Bunyoro got from Lake Katwe.

Salt was used for feeding animals and the rest was exported to her

neighbours like Buganda.

The Iron working industry was also developed in Bunyoro and they

manufactured hoes, spears, and pangas. e.t.c.

Trade was another economic activity of Bunyoro e.g. she traded with her

neighbours and also participated in the long distance trade with the

coastal Arabs.

Bark cloth making was also done in Bunyoro to provide clothes to the people.

Banyoro also involved them in pottery and sold the products outside the

Kingdom.

These who stayed near Lake Albert and rivers carried out fishing.

Revenue was also collected from vassal states e.g. Buganda and Acholi which

were supposed to pay tribute to the Omukama.

The Banyoro also engaged in hunting for food, Elephants for Ivory and the

Rhino for horns.

The army of Bunyoro always raided it’ s neighbours for slaves and Ivory

hence contributing to the economy.

REIGN OF OMUKAMA KABALEGA

Kabalega was born in 1830 to Omukama Kamurasi.

He spent his early years in Bulega where he acquired the name Kabalega

meaning son of Bulega.

After the death of his father in 1869, Kabalega was involved in a power struggle

with his brother Kabigumire.

Kabigumire was supported by the royal family and provincial chiefs.

Kabalega used the support of the commoners, Arab mercenaries and his

father’ s body guards to defeat his brother.

Kabalega ascended to power in 1870.

Contributions Of Kabalega

He started with the defeat of the opposition from the royal family by killing

and exiling members of the royal Family and chiefs who supported his

rival brother Kabigumire.

Kabalega established a highly centralized administration with him as the

political head.

He had a chain of chiefs in the provinces to ensure stability.

Kabalega built a strong standing army of the Abarusula well armed with

guns acquired from the L.D.T with Arabs.

Kabalega destroyed the social system of classes in the society and even

appointed commoners to positions of responsibility.

 Kabalega expanded the Kingdom to occupy areas such as Toro, Bwamba,

Bulega, Katwe, Lango, Buganda e.t.c and many others. This was done

with the help of the Abarusula.

Kabalega encouraged trade with the coastal Arabs and Khartoumers from

the North e.g. Bunyoro supplied Ivory and salt and in return she got guns.

Kabalega encouraged the Banyoro to grow enough food especially millet to

reduce famine.

He also built enough granaries (food stores) which ensured proper food

storage.

Kabalega encouraged the spirit of nationalism among the Banyoro for

example he always reminded them of the Baganda threat and that if

they didn’ t unite Buganda would finish them off.

However Kabalega’ s programme of building Bunyoro was interfered with by

the British.

In 1891, he engaged the British in the guerilla warfare as he resisted colonial

rule.

In 1898, he was captured in Lango with Mwanga and was sent to exile in

Seychelles Island.

Kabalega died later in 1923 in Jinja as he tried to return to Bunyoro from

exile

Kabalega was buried at Mparo in present day Hoima district.

BUGANDA KINGDOM

Origins of Buganda.
Buganda is one of the numerous Kingdoms that sprung up after the collapse

of the Chwezi dynasty.

A number of theories have been put forward to explain the origins of

Buganda.

According to oral traditions in Buganda, Kintu was the first Muganda

believed to have come from the direction of Mt. Elgon (Kintu came from

the East).

He is said to have come with 13 or 14 of the present day clans in Buganda.

According to traditions in Bunyoro, the founder of Buganda was Prince Kato

Kimera who was a twin brother to Prince Isingoma Rukidi Mpuga the

founder of the Bito dynasty in Bunyoro.

He is said to have come with 5 or 6 of the present day clans in Buganda.

Other traditions claim that Buganda originated from the Bantu clans that

migrated from Congo basin.

Buganda sprung up after the collapse of the Chwezi Empire with only three

countries i.e. Kyadondo, Mawokota and Busiro.

In the 17th century, Kabaka Kateregga began her systematic expansion by

annexing Gomba, Singo, Butambala and Kyaggwe.

Around the 18th century (1750) many immigrants arrived from Bunyoro,

Mt.Elgon area and Ssese Islands to increase her population.

Between 1780 – 1789 (18th century), Kabaka Jjunju waged war against

Bunyoro and managed to annex Buddu and Kooki which were rich in

Iron.
 Between 1814 and 1881 Kabaka Ssekamanya annexed Buwekula and

Bwera and added them to Buganda.

Between 1831 – 1851, Kabaka Ssuna finally attacked Bunyoro and crashed

it.

Still in the same period, Kabaka Mawanda tried to annex Busoga but failed

in his attempt not until Kabaka Kyabaggu’ s reign that Busoga was finally

crashed.

In the late 19th century Buruuli, Mawogola, Bulemezi and Bugerere were

annexed to Buganda as Bunyoro was declining.

In the 1900 Buganda agreement, Buganda was given the two lost counties

of Buyaga and Bugangaizi.

This stretched her territory from Lake Albert in the west to River Nile in the

East up to Northern Tanzania in the South.

Factors For The Growth And Expansion Of Buganda

Buganda started as a very small state which made it easy to defend and

administer effectively.

Buganda was gifted with fertile soils and good climate which ensured

production of Matooke to feed her big population.

Buganda established trade links with the coastal Arabs and was able to

obtain guns that helped her to expand.

Buganda had well developed roads that connected the whole Kingdom which

eased the movements of people and their goods.

Buganda had a highly centralized system of administration which ensured

stability in the Kingdom.

 Buganda had strong and capable leaders, e.g. Kabaka Ssuna, Kabaka Jjunju,

Kabaka Ssekamanya .e.t.c who expanded the Kingdom to greater heights.

The Kabaka married from all the major tribes of Buganda which created

unity and loyalty of the people.

Buganda took advantage of her weak neighbours to expand e.g. Bunyoro lost

a lot of land to Buganda.

The Kiganda society had division of Labour where by women engaged in

agriculture while the men concentrated on trading, fishing and fighting

to defend the empire.

The geographical location of Buganda also gave her a security advantage e.g.

Lake Victoria in the south, river Nile in the East and Lake Kyoga in the

North provided natural defense barriers against enemies.

Buganda also absorbed / conquered small communities which led to increase

of her population.

The coming of the British also led to the expansion of Buganda because they

offered her enough support in defeating Bunyoro.

The constant supply of tributes from conquered states also strengthened

Buganda’ s economy e.g from Busoga.

Buganda had a royal guard where by all able bodied men were supposed to

go for compulsory military training so that they could defend the

Kingdom.

Structure Of Buganda Kingdom (Political organisation)

Buganda had a highly centralized system of administration.

The Kabaka was the head of the Kingdom with absolute powers e.g. Kabaka

could appoint, promote, demote and dismiss his chiefs.

The Kabaka’ s powers were hereditary and leadership was passed on to his

elder son.

The Kabaka was assisted by 3 prominent chiefs i.e. Chief Justice

(Omulamuzi), Treasurer (Omuwanika) and the Prime minister

(Katikiro).

The Kingdom was subdivided into counties (Ssazas), sub-counties

(Gombolola), parish (Muluka), sub-parish (Ekitongole) and village

(Kyalo).

Each of these was led by a chief for effective administration.

The Chiefs were supposed to mobilize people for public works e.g.

construction of roads.

Buganda had a legislative council called Lukiiko (parliament) which was to

formulate laws and advise the Kabaka.

The Kabaka had royal body guards called Abambowa and these were

charged with protecting the Kabaka at his palace and on journeys and

functions.

The Kabaka received gifts from his subjects and chiefs as a sign of loyalty and

in return they would be rewarded with large chunks of land.

Social Organization

Socially, Buganda was organized on clan basis.

Every Muganda belonged to a particular clan e.g. Lion (Mpologoma) Monkey

(Enkima) Buffalo (Mbogo).

 Marriage in Buganda was Polygamous.

Members of the same clan were not allowed to get married.

Each of the clans had a clan head (Omukulu we Kiika) and a special area of

origin (Obutaka)

Kabaka was the head of all clans (Ssabataka) and belonged to the clan of his

mother.

The Baganda were divided into classes i.e. royal class for men (Abalangira)

Women (Abambejja), Nobles (Abakungu), Peasants/ Commoners

(Abakopi) and slaves (Abaddu).

The Kabaka was the spiritual leader of Buganda and was considered

semi-divine.

The Baganda believed in small gods (Lubaale) whom they consulted on

various occasions e.g. Ddungu (hunting), Musoke (rain), Mukasa (fishing),

and Walumbe (death) e.t.c

The Baganda also believed in witchcraft and sorcerers (Abalogo) who were

consulted by those who wanted to harm others.

The Baganda had a royal regalia which included, drums, backcloth, spears

which were highly respected.

Virginity was highly respected in Buganda because it was a sign of good

upbringing and respect.

Economic organisation

The Baganda carried out agriculture as the major activity and grew crops

like Matooke, Cassava, Yams and beans.

 They also domesticated / kept animals like, cows, sheep, goats, chicken, and

rabbits e.t.c

Fishing was also carried out on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Iron working was also practiced and they made implements such as knives,

pangas and spears.

The back cloth making industry was also developed in Buganda.

The Buganda also participated in the long distance trade with the coastal

Arabs mainly acquiring guns in exchange for slaves and Ivory.

Buganda also received tributes from her vessel states to supplement on her

revenue e.g. from Busoga and Toro.

Taxation was another source of revenue and it was the duty of chiefs to

collect taxes.

Raids were also important in Buganda’ s economy e.g. she raided Bunyoro,

Busoga for cattle, slaves, Ivory e.t.c.

Reasons for Buganda's decline

The Kingdom was too big to be effectively administered.

Lack of able leadership especially after the death of Kabaka Muteesa 1 in

1884.

Attacks from vassal states e.g. Busoga greatly weakened the kingdom.

Land conflicts with Bunyoro also increased hostilities with her neighbours.

Internal conflicts especially power struggles led to disunity in the kingdom.

Disunity because of social classes also weakened her military strength.

 Natural calamities e.g. floods and diseases especially sleeping sickness which

killed many people.

The coming of Missionaries also led to disunity within the kingdom hence her

decline.

The coming of colonialists who effectively led to the loss of her independence.

ANKOLE KINGDOM

Origins of Ankole

Ankole was one of the Kingdoms that made up after the decline of Bunyoro-

Kitara.

Traditions in Western Uganda claim that Rukidi Mpuga a son to Wamara was

the founder of Ankole Kingdom.

The Kingdom was established in the South Western part of Buganda around the

15th century.

Initially, Ankole was called “Karo Karungi” meaning peaceful land or ‘ Land of

Milk’ .

Ankole remained a small Kingdom around the 18th century and Ankole

produced a number of ambitious Kings who extended her boundaries.

Political Organisation

Ankole had a centralized system of administration.

Omugabe was the political head of the kingdom.

The Omugabe’ s position was hereditary with absolute powers.

 The Omugabe, Queen mother, Princes and princesses formed the royal

family and resided in the royal palace.

The Omugabe was assisted by the Nganzi (Prime minister) who was the most

important of all chiefs.

Ankole was divided into 10 districts each headed by Omukungu (chief).

Some of the districts included Mbarara, Ibanda, Nyabushozi, Bunyaruguru

and Kashari.

The Omugabe and Nganzi came from the upper class of the Hima and always

kept large herds of cattle and estates.

The Abakungu also kept cattle and were in charge of keeping peace and

sending beer and millet to the royal palace.

Ankole had royal regalia that included spears, a crown and the royal drum.

(Bagyendanwa).

Ankole also had a “royal fire” that was never allowed to go out until the

reigning Omugabe died.

Ankole had no standing army but in case of war, all able bodied men were

supposed to gather at the Omugabe’ s palace with spears, bows, arrows

and shields.

social organisation

Ankole society was divided into two distinct classes i.e. Hima and Iru.

Bahima who were the rulers and pastoralists and Bairu who were the

peasants and subject class.

 Marriage between the Bairu and the Bahima was considered a social

disgrace and was highly discouraged.

Religiously, the Banyankole believed in a supreme being called Ruhanga who

was thought to be the creator of the world.

No prayer and sacrifices were offered to Ruhanga because they believe there

was no need of bothering him after bringing them into the world.

Below Ruhanga were other lesser gods e.g. kagoro, kazoba, Omusisi e.t.c to

whom prayers and sacrifices were offered.

The Banyankole highly respected spirits of the dead and sacrifices e.g. beer

and milk were offered to them at family shrines.

Owning cattle was a sign of prestige and those with few cows were always

despised.

The Banyankole were united by a similar culture, Runyankole language and

same way of dressing e.g. Omushanana.

Economic organisation

Pastoralism was the main occupation of the Banyankole and they kept long

horned cattle mainly dominated by the Bahima.

The Bairu also carried out cultivation and mainly grew millet.

Blacksmithing was another activity of the Banyankole and they made spears,

hoes and arrows.

Trade was also carried out and they exchanged commodities like ivory with

their neighbours and with coastal Arabs.

 Carpentry was also carried out by the Banyankole and they made very

beautiful wooden pots, dishes and other items.

KARAGWE

Origins Rule In Karagwe

Karagwe kingdom extended between Rwanda and Burundi, Lake Victoria and

the North western part of Tanganyika.

The settlers in this area were Bantu who carried out farming and grew crops

like millet, sorghum.

They had come from the south west around the 15th and 16th century.

However the Bantu are said to have stayed in this region for 43 centuries before

migrating north East to Bunyoro and Toro.

Later a section of these returned to Karagwe after the Luo invasion.

By the time of their return, they had combined with the Chwezi.

They reached Karagwe around the 16th century and set up the Hinda dynasty.

Establishment Of Ruhinda's Rule In Karagwe

After the Luo invasion, Ruhinda led his Chwezi immigrants from Bunyoro –

Kitara to Karagwe.

He deposed over the local leader known as Nano and he set up the Hinda

dynasty.

He established his rule in Karagwe and built his capital at Bwehangwe.

He then sent his sons with royal regalia like spears to establish Hinda dynasty

in all the surrounding areas.

 This gave rise to small sub dynasties under his sons.

These sub dynasties included: Gisaka, Kyamtwara, Ihangiro, Buzinza, Busubi,

Ukerewe and Nasa.

The creation of several independent Hinda sub dynasties by Ruhinda’ s sons

created rivalries and these weakened the Hinda rule in Karagwe.

These small Kingdoms were not directly under the authority of Ruhinda.

When he died they became independent.

Political organisation

Ruhinda introduced a centralized system of government.

The centralized system replaced the clan system headed clan leaders called

Muharambwa.

Upon the death of Ruhinda; many areas that made up his Kingdom declared

themselves independent.

Ruhinda used the clans for efficient administration. These clans were not

destroyed by the Chwezi immigrants.

The clan leaders (Muharambwa) were charged with a collection of taxes,

tribute and were also in charge of religious rights.

The clans were grouped into eight bigger units for easy administration.

The units included Kianja, Bukara, Kyamtwara, Kiziba, Ihangiro, Misenyi,

Bugabo and Karagwe.

Each of these chiefdoms became a nation called Ihanga and chiefs would

dismiss a clan head if his people appealed.

 The clan heads had political, religious and judicial powers. These were

supposed to head clan courts that settled disputes.

Age sets were encouraged among the Banyambo and young boys of the same

age were called at the chief’ s residence where they would be trained in

military art.

After military training, they would be sent home and only recalled in times

of military emergency.

The few, who were outstanding and very skillful, were sent to the king’ s

court where they learnt correct court manners and language.

Economic Organisation

They were mainly agriculturalists and they grew crops like sorghum, millet

and bananas.

They also kept the long horned cattle.

Iron working was another economic activity and tools which were made

included hoes, spears and arrows which were used in agriculture and

defense.

The people of Karagwe also carried out trade.

They exchanged trade items like Ivory, and iron products with Buganda and

coastal traders.

Social Organisation

The people of Karagwe believed in ancestral spirits.

The Muharambwa was supposed to lead over religious functions.

 A Caste system (class systems) existed in Karagwe Kingdom with the

pastoralists as rulers and farmers as the subjects.

Settlement of conflicts was entrusted to the clan leader (Muharambwa) but

the head of the chiefdom (Ihanga) was the final man in everything.

NYAMWEZI

Origins of the nyamwezi

Origins

The Nyamwezi are Bantu speaking who belong to the central and Northern

Tanzania Bantu.

They are closely related to other tribes such as Sukuma.

They are an example of a de-centralized society.

They had fairly organized political, social and economic features.

They first settled in central Tanzania around Tabora between 1000—

1500

AD.

They migrated from the Congo basin and entered Tanganyika through the

western part.

They used the route between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Edward.

The name Nyamwezi means people from the moon.

It was given to them by the coastal traders who saw them coming from the

direction of the new moon (west).

Originally, they lived in small chiefdoms bound together by ethnic

association.
 During the 19th century, they developed centralized administration during

the reigns of Mirambo and Nyungu Ya Mawe.

The structure of the Nyamwezi

Political organisation

The Nyamwezi lived in small independent chiefdoms of about 1,000 people.

They were united together by ethnic clan ties.

The Nyamwezi had a decentralized system of administration.

Each chiefdom headed by a chief with the title Ntemi.

The position of the Ntemi was hereditary i.e. his son / close relative

succeeded him upon his death.

The Ntemi had political powers and was in charge of law and order in his

chiefdom.

In case of population explosion in one chiefdom or succession disputes, splits

were done and a new chiefdom would be created.

The Ntemi was assisted by a council of elders called Wanyampala.

Wanyampala comprised of old, experienced and knowledgeable elders.

Chiefdoms were further split into small political units headed by clan heads

called Gunguli.

Other important chiefs among the Nyamwezi included ritual officer

(Mgawe), Army commander (Mtwale) information officer (Kikoma) Tax

/revenue officer (Minule).

All these took orders from the Ntemi.

 Each chiefdom had an army with a commander appointed by the Ntemi.

Before going for any battle, the Ntemi had to bless the army.

The Nyamwezi copied the royal regalia from neighbouring societies such as

Bunyoro.

Social Organization

The Ntemi was the religious leader of his people and linked them to their

ancestors.

The Ntemi was the fountain of the society and received a lot of respect from

his people.

The Ntemi could marry as many wives as he wanted.

Upon the death of the Ntemi, his body would be buried upright with beer,

food and weapons.

The Nyamwezi also believed in life after death and the spirits of the dead.

Ntemi would always preside over sacrifices to ancestors on behalf of his

people.

The Ntemi was supposed to stop any calamity that would hit his people,

their fields and animals.

Economic Organisation

The Nyamwezi were farmers and mainly grew cereals e.g. millet and

sorghum.

The Ntemi always mobilized his people to grow enough food, settle land

disputes and guard against misuse of land.

 The Nyamwezi also kept animals for example goats and cattle.

The Ntemi and his chiefs always kept large herds of animals.

Tax collection was also part of their economy and the Nyamwezi always

collected food as tax.

The Nyamwezi had established food granaries which were directly under the

Ntemi.

These were used to feed his body guards, members of his palace and other

people in case of hunger and famine.

The Nyamwezi also carried out some fishing to supplement their diet.

The Nyamwezi locally traded with their neighbours e.g. the Vinza for salt

and Zinza for Iron.

The Nyamwezi also participated in the long distance trade with the coastal

Arabs.

They controlled the central trade route and provided slaves, bee wax, Ivory.

In return they got guns , beads and clothes .

Raiding on their neighbours was also a major economic activity carried out

by the Nyamwezi.

MIRAMBO'S EMPIRE

Mirambo was born around the 1830s in Nyamwezi land to one Ntemi chief.

He spent his early years in Bugomba where he had been captured by the Ngoni.

He mastered the Ngoni tactics of warfare and used them to build a strong army

of the Ruga Ruga.

It was this army that helped Mirambo to build a big empire.

Mirambo attacked the Vinza, Sukuma and Iramba to extend his influence.

By 1876, Mirambo established his capital at Urambo.

His empire extended Northwards and Eastwards to control the central caravan

trade route from Tabora to Karagwe, Ujiji, Buganda and Bunyoro.

Why Mirambo was able to build such a big empire

Mirambo was a person of boundless courage and energy which he used to

build his empire.

He personally led his army in battle which encouraged and gave morale to

his army to fight on.

Mirambo spent a lot of years in Bugomba as a captive of the Ngoni which

helped him to master the ngoni military tactics.

He used the ngoni military tactics to build a strong army called Ruga-Ruga

that was very instrumental in his rise to prominence.

He absorbed the conquered people, recruited the youth into his army to

boost his fighting force.

Mirambo was a man of high determination who took no nonsense from any

one. E.g. he insisted on homage and tributes from foreigners passing

through his territory.

The acquiring of guns and gun power from the coastal Arabs helped

Mirambo to extend his empire wide.

Mirambo highly paid the Ruga –Ruga who helped him to build such a big

empire.
 Mirambo’ s empire was strategically located in central Tanganyika which

made it the center of trade.

Mirambo exploited the weaknesses of his neighbours like Vinza, Zinza,

Sukuma, Ha and Samba to acquire territories from them.

The Nyamwezi lived in small chiefdoms that were weak and disorganized

and this made it easy for Mirambo to conquer them.

Mirambo was also far –sighted and an ambitious man who knew what he

wanted and always looked for a way of getting it.

Trade also helped Mirambo extend his power and influence because it

brought in revenue or taxes e.g. He controlled two trade routes, one to

Ujiji and the second one to Bunyoro and Buganda.

Mirambo also established diplomatic ties with many Europeans, Arabs e.g.

He invited missionaries to come to his area.

Mirambo also made friendly relations with many African chiefs. He tried to

establish diplomatic ties with Muteesa 1 of Buganda, sultan of Zanzibar

and Tippu Tip.

Mirambo equally respected foreigners/strangers passing through his land.

This brought in many visitors that he benefited from in terms of skills and

trade.

The collapse of Mirambo's empire

The death of Mirambo led to collapse of the empire because it lacked a strong

foundation.

The empire was built around Mirambo’ s personality and without him it was

bound to collapse.
Mirambo’ s successor Mpandashalo was too weak and could not keep the

empire intact.

The empire was too big to be ruled effectively by one person.

Mirambo always found it hard to enforce law and order from his subjects

due to the vast size.

Unity was also lacking i.e. Mirambo had left the various areas he had

conquered under their traditional rulers and upon his death many of

them declared themselves independent.

Mirambo’ s neighbours were not happy about his success e.g. the Sukuma and

this encouraged various states under him to rebel.

Mirambo’ s army of the Ruga-Ruga was not dependable and became a

menace after his death e.g. looting and burning people’ s property.

The confusion created by the Ruga Ruga forced the Germans to occupy

Tanganyika in 1885.

The decline of the Long distance trade and abolition of slave trade also led

to the collapse of his empire.

Mirambo lost contact with the Arabs who used to supply him guns and

gunpowder.

Mirambo’ s chiefs were weak since many were appointed just because they

belonged to the ruling class. They did not merit their positions which

further weakened Mirambo’ s empire.

Increasing Europeans interests in E.A finally brought Mirambo’ s empire to

an end in 1885.
 The Germans came under the excuse of abolishing slave trade and stop the

Ruga- Ruga and they stamped their authority in Tanganyika.

ORIGIN OF NYUNGU YA MAWE

Nyungu ya mawe was born in Unyanyembe near Tabora among the

Nyamwezi.

He was a prince from the royal family of Unyanyembe.

Nyungu ya mawe was a praise name meaning ‘ Pot of stone’ (the pot that

never breaks).

Nyungu ya mawe was also able to build a big empire using the services of

Ruga Ruga mercenaries.

He also employed the Ngoni fighting methods.

In 1874, he abandoned his people and formed his capital at kiwele.

He attacked the Kimbu in the East and also captured the trade route

between Tabora and Ufipa.

Nyungu ya mawe was a brave and ruthless military strategist.

He could not hesitate to risk the lives of his soldiers and he referred to them

as Mapimpiti meaning Logs, to achieve his targets.

Nyungu ya mawe also created a centralized system of administration.

All conquered areas were given new chiefs called Vitwale (plural) or Mtwale

(singular).

He divided his empire into six provinces each under a Mtwale directly

appointed by him.
 The Vitwale were directly appointed by Nyungu ya mawe and were his eyes

and ears. In most cases they were his relatives.

Nyungu ya mawe created a highly disciplined army.

His army underwent physical and psychological training and didn’ t lose

morale after his death.

Nyungu ya mawe did not bother establishing good relations with Europeans.

He heavily taxed them which displeased them.

In December 1884, Nyungu ya mawe died as a one eyed man.

He was succeeded by his daughter Mgalula who ruled successfully until 1893.

When she died, her daughter took over and ruled until the Germans

captured her capital at Kiwele and conquered it.

This marked the end of Nyungu ya Mawe’ s empire.

The Germans replaced the Vitwale with new chiefs called Akidas.

The Germans later introduced direct rule.

KIKUYU SOCIETY

The Kikuyu Society

Political Organization

The Kikuyu had a decentralized system of administration.

Their political system was based on clans with each handling its own affairs.

Each clan was made up of age groups called Riika.

 These were further sub-divided into age sets each having its own name

marking a particular event.

The Kikuyu had an army and the commander represented them on council

of elders called Kiama.

This army composed of Junior and senior warriors.

Junior warriors were supposed to clear gardens for planting, defend the

village against attack and construct houses and fences.

Families sharing the same terrace made up a territorial unit called Mbari.

Each Mbari was under a council of elders headed by Muramiti.

The position of the Muramiti was not hereditary but was entrusted to any

experienced elder.

The Muramiti performed judicial functions.

Members of the council of elders must have paid some goats and beer and

must have circumcised the elder son of their houses to qualify.

Social Organization

Religiously, the Kikuyu believed in a supreme god called Ngai.

Ngai who manifested himself through the sun, moon, rainbow, thunder and

lightning.

Kirinyaga (Mt Kenya) was believed to be Ngai’ s home.

Shrines were built around the slopes of Mt Kenya.

Ngai could only be approached by community elders as a group but not as

individuals.
 Ngai was consulted at all stages of life e.g. at birth, marriage and death.

The Kikuyu highly respected the spirits of the ancestors whom they believed

to possess powers to punish and bless.

Therefore sacrifices were offered to appease the spirits of ancestors.

The Kikuyu society was also organized on clan basis and each clan was made

up of age groups.

Riika was further sub-divided into age sets and initiation from one age set

to another was after circumcision done on both boys and girls after every

five years.

Inheritance of property always followed the mother’ s line (matrilineal).

Land and children were all owned by the mother.

Economic Organization

Agriculture was their main activity and they mainly grew cereals like

Sorghum, Maize and Peas.

Land was highly respected by the Kikuyu.

A man with no land was not allowed to marry because his wife could not

feed the family without it.

On top of agriculture, the Kikuyu herded cattle, goats, sheep and kept bees.

Fishing and rearing of fowls like chicken was a taboo among the Kikuyu i.e.

their social laws did not permit the consumption of fish and fowls.

Division of labour existed among the Kikuyu.

 Men cleared the land, herded and milked animals as women planted and

harvested crops and looked after the homes.

The Kikuyu traded with their neighbours like the Masai, Embu, Pokomo, and

Kamba for products like milk and butter.

With the development of LDT the Kikuyu supplied Ivory, Slaves, Bee wax,

and Skins e.t.c to the coastal Arab traders.

The Kikuyu also hunted wild animals and gathered fruits from the forests

around the Kenyan highland.

The Kikuyu also carried out Iron working and made Iron implements like

hoes for agriculture and spears for hunting.

Origins of teso

They are a branch of the plain Nilotics called the Jie.

They migrated from southern Ethiopia.

They fall under a smaller group of the Ateker.

They are related to the Turkana, Kumam, Maasai and Karamojong.

They first settled in Karamoja for some time and lived there for some time.

In the early 18th century, the Iteso left Karamoja.

This was due to cattle rustling, over stocking, over population and lack of water

and pasture.

They then moved southwards and settled along the shores of Lake Bisina.

It is from here that they acquired the name Itesots.

Due to more pressure, others moved to Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya.
They are settled in districts such as Kumi, Soroti, Tororo, Mbale, Kaberamaido

and Amuria.

Structure of the Teso Society

Political Organization

The Itesots had no centralized system of government.

They were organized in clans called Ateker.

The clans were the centres of power and it was made up of several extended

families.

Each clan had a common taboo.

The Emuron was the most important chief among the Itesots.

He had religious and Political powers, a rain maker and also helped barren

women to conceive.

Other important chiefs included Aruwon (military leader) who was chosen

because of his bravery and Ekaraban (Village ambassador) who settled

disputes.

Clan meetings (Etems) were important among the Iteso because they

handled cases like divorce, adultery and murder.

Age- Set system (Aturi) existed among the Itesots on which wars and raids

were conducted.

Boys of the same age worked and fought together.

Social Organization
 Social ceremonies were very important e.g. Marriage and birth of twins were

marked with jubilations, dances, food and beer.

Religiously, the Itesots believed in a supreme being who had lesser gods for

example Apa – the god of peace and Edeke – the god of calamity.

The Emuron was the religious leader and always offered sacrifices to Edeke

on behalf of his people.

The Iteso were bound together by strong ties of Kinship and members of the

same ancestry regarded themselves as brothers.

Itesots had an age-set system (Aturi) which was always formed at a time of

Initiations and it marked a change from child hood to adult hood.

A man was the head of the family and therefore his sons were supposed to

inherit the father’ s property upon his death.

Status among the Iteso depended on how many cows one had i.e. those who

less herds were always despised and minimized.

Economic Organization

Initially, the Iteso were pastoralists and they kept cows, sheep and goats.

They also reared birds e.g. chicken and turkey.

The Iteso later adopted farming and they grew crops such as millet, sorghum

and Groundnuts.

Hunting was another activity among the Iteso and this promoted unity and

socialization.
 The Iteso also carried out some trade and they exchanged hides and skins

and Ivory for backcloth, beads and iron implements from Bunyoro and

Busoga.

Origin of Bantu

They are Bantu speaking people who belonged to the Highland and coastal

Bantu.

They comprise of that group of Central and Northern Tanzania Bantu that

continued with their migration from the Congo basin.

They are closely related to other Bantu tribes like Gweno, Sukuma and Shamba.

They entered Tanzania through the West using the route between Lake

Tanganyika and Lake Edward.

Their migration took place between 1000 – 1300 AD

They settled around Mt. Kilimanjaro in Northern Tanganyika.

The Chagga decided to settle around Mt. Kilimanjaro permanently and came to

be known as the highland Bantu.

Political organisation

The Chagga had a decentralized system of administration with chiefs at the

centers of authority.

The chiefs were distinguished elders in society with political and religious

powers.

Chiefs were always encouraged to extend the political frontiers of their

chiefdoms.

Chiefs were also in charge of administering justice in their chiefdoms.

 The Chagga had political rivalries with their neighbours especially the Masai

over grazing lands.

Below the chiefs were other influential leaders called judicial counselors.

Judicial counselors were directly appointed by the chiefs.

Judicial counselors were also charged with tax collection.

Below the judicial counselors were the clan heads who were prominent and

influential.

Clan heads were also used in maintenance of law and order in their clans.

Social organisation

The Chagga were organized on clan basis.

They had several clans with each clan having a clan head.

Chiefs also served as chief priests and presided over religious ceremonies.

They believed in a god called Ruwa.

Ruwa was considered not to have been the creator of the world.

Ruwa was believed to have freed mankind and provided him with fruits and

plants to feed on.

They believed in the powers of ancestors i.e. life after death.

Sacrifices were therefore offered to appease the spirits of the ancestors.

Economic organisation

Agriculture was the important economic activity among the Chagga.

They grew crops such as bananas, millet and coffee.

 Irrigation was carried out to support agriculture during the dry season.

They applied manure in their farms and also carried out crop rotation.

They also kept animals like cattle, goats and sheep.

They also practiced iron working and made implements like spears, pangas

and arrows.

They carried out trade with their neighbours and exchanged their surplus

goods for salt.

They later participated in the long distance trade with the coastal Arabs.

N.B By the 18th century, they had developed a system of kingship.

Origins of Cushitic

The Galla are of Cushitic origin.

They are a branch of the plain Nilotics who migrated from southern Ethiopia.

They are thought to have originated from Ethiopia then moved to Somalia and

finally entered East Africa.

They are a nomadic pastoral tribe that occupies the Eastern parts of Kenya.

Political organisation

The Galla traditional structure was connected to the age set system based

on ten groups.

Every male belonged to a single group throughout his life.

Each age set was headed by a leader called Abba-Boku for 8 years.
 Abba-Boku presided over meetings and formulated laws governing his age

set.

Abba-Boku was seen as a ritual and natural affairs expert.

Abba-Boku was assisted by 3 other elders all from distinguished families.

From the age of ten, boys were supposed to train as warriors.

The Galla thus became a fierce warrior society respected over a wide area.

They carried spears and shields into the battle fields.

Each age group came up for promotion every eight years and when this

happened, its leader had to take his people to a new territory.

This would eventually lead to the expansion of the Galla territory.

Social organisation

The Galla believed in a supreme being called Waqa.

Waqa was believed to be the controller of everyone’ s destiny.

He always granted favours and protection especially in times of battle.

There existed both good and bad spirits living in lakes, rivers, mountains and

trees.

Later on, some became Muslims due to interaction with the Muslims from

Ethiopia.

They had the age set system where every male belonged to a particular

group throughout his life.

Hunting of animals was carried out as a test of manhood.

Economic organisation

They were a pastoral society who moved from place to place in search of

water and pasture.

They kept animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, camels and donkeys.

Their constant movements in search of water and pastures brought them

into conflicts with other tribes like the Masai and Somali.

They carried out small scale agriculture and grew grains, peas, beans,

vegetables and pepper.

Limited fishing and hunting were also carried out.

Traded with their neighbours like the Somali, Ethiopians and Swahili Arabs.

Origin of plain Nilotics

They fall under the pastoral group of the plain Nilotics.

They moved from the area West of Lake Turkana around the 17th century.

They existed in two groups i.e. the Kwavi and Purko Masai.

They occupy the area called Machakos in southern Kenya and some are found

in Northern Tanzania.

Political organisation

They were a decentralized society with no central authority.

They were divided into sixteen independent clans.

The clans were the basis of their political organisation.

Each clan had its own territory, cattle brand, pasture and water supply.
 Leadership was exercised through the age set system.

Age sets were linear and their names were unique and never repeated.

The most active age set was Moran comprised of junior warriors.

It was led by a military captain called Olaiguanani.

Once elected, the Olaiguanani was presented with a ceremonial club Oriakha

to symbolize his new status.

He organized cattle raids and arranged the distribution of the war booty.

A successful raid was a sign of social success and prestige.

The elders in society administered the clans and maintained law and order.

From the mid 19th century, Laibon became the center of political power.

A young man became a member after circumcision performed at 18 years.

After initiation, the boys became junior warriors called illmuran.

The illmuran lived separately in manyattas where they were drilled in

military techniques.

From junior warriors, they progressed to senior warriors and finally senior

elders.

Social organisation

The Masai believed in a supreme creator called Enkai.

Enkai was the source of life and punished bad people.

The Laibon prayed to the Enkai on behalf of his people.

Senior elders helped organize society especially during difficult periods.

 Women and children were the lowest members of the society.

The junior warriors (Moran) were charged with defending the homesteads.

They conducted raids and surveyed areas for grazing.

Women were also initiated every year.

They built temporary structures called Manyattas because they are always

on the move.

Economic organisation

The Purko Masai were pastoralists who kept cattle, goats and sheep.

The Kwavi Masai were cultivators who grew crops like finger millet and

sorghum.

They traded with other communities like the Kikuyu and exchanged their

hides and skins for beans, tobacco, sugarcane and millet.

Women did the marketing of goods.

There were established markets where goods would be exchanged.

Iron working was carried out and they made spears, arrows and ornaments.

They carried out raids and hunting.

Practiced small scale fishing to supplement their diet.

Art and craft was also practiced and they made jars and bowls.

The 19th Century Masai Civil Wars

These were a series of wars that were fought between the Kwavi and Purko

Masai.
The Kwavi were agriculturalists while the Purko were predominantly

pastoralists.

The wars were fought in two separate intervals i.e. in 1815 and in 1840.

The first major war took place in 1815 in the Uasin-Gishu plateau which ended

in the defeat of the Kwavi Masai.

In 1840, the Kwavi reorganized themselves with the help of the Laikipia and

they drove the Purko Masai out of the rift valley.

Between 1870 and 1875, the Purko decisively attacked and defeated the

Kwavi killing many of them.

Causes of the Masai civil wars

The Purko who were the pastoral Masai always despised the Kwavi who were

farmers leading to the wars.

The Purko claimed that the Kwavi were finishing their land and that very

soon they would not have enough grazing lands for their animals.

The Kwavi farmers also claimed that animals of the Purko were destroying

their farms during grazing leading to the wars.

The Kwavi always expected help from their neighbours the Laikipia and this

gave them morale to fight against the Purko.

The succession disputes between the leaders of the Masai after the death of

Laibon Mbatien also led to the outbreak of the wars.

The Kwavi Masai had always defeated the Purko who had for long wanted

revenge for their losses.

 The Purko were always a proud society who took a lot of pride in fighting

and when they got the opportunity, they had to engage the Kwavi in

warfare.

The two groups had participated in long distance trade and had acquired

guns which encouraged them to fight against each other.

The Purko always believed that the Kwavi had deliberately spread animal

diseases which claiming many their animals’ lives.

The youths among the Kwavi were always blamed for stealing the animals

that belonged to the Purko which led to the wars.

The Purko believed that they were the rightful owners of all the Masai land

and didn’ t want it to be taken over by the Kwavi.

The desire to control the trading activities in the area also led to conflicts

between the two groups.

Effects of the Masai civil wars

Many people died during the course of the wars.

A lot of property was destroyed during the wars e.g. farms and homesteads.

The wars created a period of insecurity in Masailand.

There was depopulation in the area as many people migrated to safer areas.

The Purko emerged victorious and the Kwavi were greatly weakened.

The wars greatly weakened Masai supremacy in Kenya and the Nandi

emerged as the most powerful tribe in Western Kenya.

The wars resulted into famine and suffering in Masailand due to neglect of

agriculture.
 The succession struggles ended with the separation of the Masai e.g. Laibon

Sendeyo and his group occupied Tanzania and Laibon Lenana’ s group

remained in Kenya.

Natural disasters like small pox and locust invasion further weakened the

Masai influence.

The Masai were easily colonized by the British due to the decline in their

power.

The Masai were tricked into signing treaties with the British which forced

them into reserves.

Masailand was later on taken over by the British colonialists.

Origins of the Acholi

They fall under the bigger group of the Luo speaking communities.

They currently occupy Northern Uganda in districts such as Gulu, Pader and

Kitgum.

They emerged out of intermarriages between the Luo, Ateker and Sudanic

Madi.

They originally lived in Bahr-el-Ghazel in Southern Sudan.

Their migration took place between 1200 – 1350 AD.

They entered Uganda through Northern Uganda following the Albert Nile.

Political organisation

The Acholi had a decentralized system of administration with no central

authority.
 Political power was centered around the Rwoth chief.

Rwoth was the political head and religious leader of his people.

He ruled on the advice of a council of elders from all major clans.

Rwoth gave favours according to work done.

Political affairs were handled by the clans with each having its own rituals

and regalia.

Each family belonged to a particular clan that shared a common ancestry.

Clan councils upheld traditional, religious and legal customs.

The family was the basic social unit.

The man had a lot of power over his wife and children.

The Rwoth appointed village heads called Jogos.

The duty of the Jogos was to maintain law and order in their respective

villages.

The Jogos were also charged with tribute and tax collection.

The Acholi had no standing army but the youth were supposed to defend the

chiefdoms incase of war.

The youths were also supposed to carry out raids for cattle.

Social organisation

They believed in a supreme god called Jok-Lubanga as the creator and

sustainer of the world.

The Acholi always prayed to him through the spirits.

 The Rwoth was the religious head of his people.

He was believed to have direct links with the ancestors.

Inheritance followed the father’ s line.

Land was communally owned.

It was the duty of the clan heads to protect it on behalf of his people.

Economic organisation

Their main economic activity was pastoralism and they kept short horned

cattle.

They also carried out agriculture and grew crops such as millet, peas, beans

and sorghum.

They highly valued cows for prestige, bride wealth and rewards.

Fishing was also carried out by those who stayed near the rivers.

They traded with their neighbours like the Langi, Banyoro and Sudanese.

Introduction Long Distance Trade

Before the 19th century, African societies carried out some trade among

themselves.

This was because no society produced all it needed to survive.

This internal trade was always conducted on a barter system.

However around the 1st half of the 19th century (1840-1850), Long Distance

Trade developed.
This involved movements of people from local to international levels all over E.

Africa.

Long Distance Trade

It was also called pre-colonial caravan trade.

This was the trade that was carried between the coastal merchants and the

interior tribes in E.Africa.

The traders covered very long distances from the interior to the coast.

Long distances had to be covered in caravans of between 100-1000 men to

and from the coast.

This always took months or even a year before they would reach the coast and

back to the interior.

The main participants in the trade included Nyamwezi, Kamba, Yao, Chagga,

Kikuyu, Baganda, Banyoro and the Luo.

These traded with the Arabs and Swahili people at the coast.

Goods from the interior included ivory, animals, Skins, Slaves, Gold, Bee wax,

salt, and copper.

They were all exchanged for goods like beads, guns, mirrors, clothes and glass

which were brought by the coastal people.

Reasons for the development of the Long distance trade

The trade developed because of several tribes that produced surplus goods

which enabled them to offer some for sale.

There was also high demand for foreign goods by African societies e.g. guns

and clothes which they had to get from the coast.

The arrival of the Portuguese at the coast in 1500 A.D also forced the Arabs

to abandon the Indian Ocean trade and join the Long distance trade.

The opening of trade routes in the interior of East Africa enabled the traders

to reach all corners of East Africa for trade.

Seyyid Said’ s settlement in Zanzibar in 1840 also increased the demand for

slaves who were needed to work on his clove plantations.

Availability of trade items also led to its development e.g. slaves, Ivory, Bee

wax e.t.c were all available in the interior.

The abolition of slave trade in West Africa around 1840 forced many

Europeans to resort to East Africa were slave trade had not yet been

abolished.

Some interior tribes had the traditional love for traveling long distances for

example the Nyamwezi.

Division of labour among the African societies encouraged the men to get

involved in trade.

The development of Swahili as a business language made it easier for people

to communicate in trade.

The flat nature of the land enabled traders to easily move up and down

looking for trade items.

The coming of the Indian Banyans at the coast who financed traders and

provided loans.

The presence of capable leaders e.g. Mirambo, Seyyid Said, Tippu – Tip and

Muteesa 1 who efficiently organized the trade.

 The introduction of cowrie shells as a form of currency also eased the

transaction of business.

The introduction of guns also improved security along the trade routes.

Co-operation between interior tribes and coastal people also facilitated

smooth trade.

Presence of already developed coastal towns which acted as the trading

centers e.g. Mombasa.

Availability of guns helped in raiding of villages for slaves and hunting of

elephants.

The trade was so profitable to the participants leading to its development.

Good and favourable climate encouraged trade throughout the year.

Development in transport system e.g. use of donkeys which eased movement

of traders.

Organization of the Long distance trade

The trade involved many interior tribes e.g. Nyamwezi, Kamba, Yao, Chagga

and Baganda.

These traded with the coastal Arabs.

The trade was organized on caravan basis.

Each caravan would have over 1000 men armed and it included porters

and medicine men.

Goods from the interior included, ivory, slaves, gold and Iron implements e.g.

axes, pangas, hoes.

Those from the coast included beads, glassware, plates, cloths, and swords

among others.

Slaves were acquired through raids on villages and ivory was got through

hunting of elephants.

Trade was initially conducted on a barter trade system i.e. goods exchanged

for goods.

Later on, cowrie shells were introduced but these were also later replaced by

small copper coins.

Trade was controlled by interior chiefs who negotiated with the merchants

from the coast.

Trade was also conducted in trading centers along the trade routes e.g. Ujiji,

Tabora and Bagamoyo.

These trading centres also served as resting places.

The trade also involved taxation for revenue.

Traders from the coast paid taxes to the local chiefs in the interior before

their caravans could be allowed passage.

The medium of communication was Kiswahili because it was the business

language.

Where communication became a problem, interpreters were used.

The best means of transport was head porterage and the Nyamwezi

provided the most skilled porters, this was because they naturally

enjoyed it and they loved walking for long distances.

 The Indian banyans were the financiers of the trade and they provided loans

to the traders to go into the interior to buy goods.

The trade followed three main specific trade routes i.e.

Northern trade route; it started from Pangani and Mombasa and passed

through MT Kenya and Taita hills and it went up to Lake Baringo,

crossing the rift valley up to Mt. Elgon. It was controlled by the Akamba.

Central trade route; this was the biggest and busiest route. It was controlled

by Nyamwezi and it started from Bagamoyo through Zaramo, Gogoland,

and Tabora to Karagwe, Buganda, Bunyoro up to Eastern Congo.

Southern trade route; It was controlled by the Yao. It started from Kilwa

through Malawi, Southern Tanganyika up to the Muenomotapa Kingdom

in Congo.

There was another less significant route from Southern Sudan through

Northern Uganda, Turkana land via the Kenyan highlands up to the

coast. It was controlled by the Khartoumers from Sudan.

The roles played by different tribes in the Long Distance Trade

Nyamwezi

The Nyamwezi offered market for goods from the coast.

On their return from the coast they always came with goods e.g. glass ware.

They lived in central Tanzania and they were 1st people to move to the coast

in caravans around 1830.

The Nyamwezi acted as porters during the long distance trade and they

enjoyed walking long distances.

 The Nyamwezi also supplied commodities to the traders e.g. copper, ivory,

bee wax, salt, slaves.

The Nyamwezi also controlled the biggest and the busiest route i.e. central

trade route which linked Zaire / Katanga region, Bunyoro, Buganda to

the East African coast.

They acted as translators and interpreters in bargaining or negotiations

because some of them had learnt Kiswahili language through their travels

and because they played a role of middle men.

The Nyamwezi also provided accommodation and lodging facilities to the

long distance traders e.g. centers like Ujiji and Tabora.

They provided food stuffs and beverages to the coastal traders who

penetrated into the interior.

The Nyamwezi under Mirambo and Nyungu ya mawe were great organizers

of the L.D.T.

They built a large commercial empire in central Tanganyika.

The Nyamwezi also acted as guides and guards along the central trade route.

Why the Nyamwezi got involved in the L.D.T

The Nyamwezi lived in central Tanzania i.e. which gave them a middle

man’ s position between the coastal Arabs and the interior tribes.

Among the Nyamwezi society, division of labour existed i.e. the women were

left at home to plant, weed and harvest while the men simply cleared

gardens and then joined trading activities.

The Nyamwezi land was gifted with resources i.e. Ivory, Iron, copper, slaves,

grains and hides which were highly demanded by the coastal traders.
 The Nyamwezi occupied a region in central Tanganyika that experienced

long drought and therefore couldn’ t sustain them through farming

hence resorting to trade with the coastal Arabs.

The Ngoni invasion of the Southern trade route led into an increase in the

volume of trade on the central route and this gave the Nyamwezi

prominence in the trade.

The introduction of guns also improved Nyamwezi’ s hunt for elephants and

slaves on top of improving security along the trade routes.

The Nyamwezi were surrounded by weak chiefdoms which made it very easy

for them to attack and raid their neighbors for slaves.

The Nyamwezi were good at walking long distances and therefore they

found no problem carrying heavy tusks to the coast.

Nyamwezi land was flat and since the journeys were so long, this eased the

movement of caravans.

Nyamwezi were very ambitious people who would always exploit any

opportunity that came their way to the maximum.

The emergence of Mirambo and Nyungu ya mawe also helped the Nyamwezi

establish themselves as prominent long distance traders.

The Akamba

The Akamba, In the 1850’ s, the Akamba had established themselves as the

most active long distance traders in the whole of Kenya.

They occupied a dry area, lived a semi nomadic life and because of the poor

soils they resorted to trade.

 They started trading with their neighbours e.g. Nyika, Embu, and Kikuyu

hence getting access to the coast.

The Kamba controlled the northern trade route and their major outlets

were Mombasa and Pangani.

With the development of the L.D.T, the Kamba became very active in slave

trade and Ivory trade.

They also supplied other items e.g. Tobacco, rhinoceros horns and wax to

coastal traders.

The Kamba were also skilled in Iron working such that they produced spears

and arrows poisoned with snake poison.

The Akamba also opened bases on their land to supply food to the passing

caravan traders.

The Akamba with their middle man position of the northern route provided

relevant information in form of guards and guides.

Under leaders like chief kivoi, the Akamba were encouraged to join long

distance trade.

They built a large commercial empire between Mt. Kenya and Mt.

Kilimanjaro.

The Yao

The Yao were found in southern Tanganyika and they controlled the

Southern trade route.

The Yao were among the 1st people to participate in the L.D.T with their

neighbours and the coastal merchants.

 The Yao were good slave raiders after learning military tactics of the Ngoni.

They became a major source of slaves to the merchants.

The Yao also served as middlemen connecting the interior tribes around

Lake Malawi especially through Kilwa.

Most of the Yao had embraced Islam hence they established good trading

relations with the coastal merchants.

Under powerful chiefs like Mpanda and Mataka i.e. the Yao were able to set

up a strong empire and this encouraged many people to participate in

the trade.

Yao also served as porters in the trade because they were good at traveling

long distances.

Some of the Yao had learned Kiswahili through their contacts with the Arabs

hence they acted as interpreters and translators in bargaining between

the coastal Arabs and the interior tribes.

They also provided food stuffs, beverages to the passing caravans.

They also provided lodging facilities /accommodation to the traders.

Problems Faced In The Long Distance Trade

First and foremost, the distance covered was too long i.e. the Journey had

to be covered by foot yet the goods were to be carried on the head.

The heavy taxes imposed on the Arabs and the interior chiefs generated into

war hence making the trade unsafe.

The Indian banyans also always charged high interest rates on the coastal

merchants hence making the trade unprofitable.

Tropical diseases e.g. Malaria, sleeping sickness claimed many lives of traders

and slaves leading to the decline of the trade.

Wild animals e.g. lions used to attack the traders on their way to the coast

not until guns were introduced.

The introduction of guns increased slave raids, tribal warfare hence making

the interior unsafe for many traders.

Communication was a big problem because of the language barrier i.e only

a few people in the interior knew and understood Kiswahili.

Hostile tribes like the Masai and Nandi also made the trade difficult because

they always attacked the traders who tried to penetrate into their areas.

The Ngoni invasion also disrupted the trade i.e. the Tuta Ngoni disrupted

trade between Ujiji and Tabora while the Maseko Ngoni disrupted trade

along the southern trade route.

The geography of the interior of East Africa was scary and impassible e.g.

forests, Mountains, Rift valleys, Lakes and rivers, the Nyika plateau.

The climate of E.Africa especially in the rainy season was not favorable

because it slowed the movement of slaves and traders.

The exhaustion of some goods in the interior also proved to be a problem e.g.

the Elephants for Ivory were killed in large numbers.

The coming of the missionaries also led to the collapse of the trade i.e. they

were against slave trade.

The colonization of E.A was what finally led to the eventual collapse of the

long distance because slave trade was abolished and legitimate trade was

introduced.
Effects Of The Long Distance Trade

It led to the formation and expansion of states because they had acquired

guns e.g. Nyamwezi, Buganda.

L.D.T led to the raise of strong statesmen e.g Mirambo, Nyungu ya mawe,

Kabalega, Kivoi, Mpanda and Mataka because they had acquired guns

which helped them acquire economic and political power.

Many people became rich in the interior especially the chiefs and rulers and

it helped them enjoy high standards of living.

The rise of some states also led to the decline of some other states especially

those that did not have guns e.g the expansion of Buganda led to the

decline of Busoga, Toro and Bunyoro.

The introduction of guns increased warfare, slave raids and tribal conflicts

in the interior that led to a lot of destruction of property.

The captured slaves were badly treated during their transportation to the

coast e.g they were whipped and not given enough food.

L.D.T led to the decline of agriculture because of constant slave raids which

made cultivation difficult.

Long distance trade led to the spread of Islam in the interior e.g some

societies like Nyamwezi, Buganda and Kamba had many Moslems due to

their contacts with Arabs.

The trade also stimulated the growth and development of towns along the

trade routes e.g Tabora, Ujiji and Bagamoyo

Long distance trade caravan routes later developed into proper

communication lines and this eased the transport system.

 The massive slave raids in the interior led to heavy depopulation especially

in the southern Tanganyika e.g. Yao land.

The introduction of guns almost depopulated the wildlife e.g. elephants’

population in Nyamwezi area reduced highly due to the need for Ivory.

Long distance trade opened up E.Africa to the outside world and this

attracted many Europeans who came as traders, missionaries and

explorers.

Provided alternative livelihood to societies in dry areas e.g. Nyamwezi and

Kamba.

It led to the rise of society misfits e.g. Ruga Ruga and Maviti warriors.

Led to a decline in local/traditional industry e.g. bark cloth making.

The Abolition Of Slave Trade

The campaign of abolition of slave trade was mainly spear headed by the British.

Reasons for the abolition of slave trade

The missionaries attacked slave trade as an inhuman act and therefore they

persuaded the traders to stop slave trade

The industrial revolution in Europe (1850) led to the introduction of

machines which replaced human labour hence slaves had lost market in

Europe.

Population increase in Europe made it useless to bring in more people whose

services were by this time not needed.

The industrial revolution created a high demand for raw materials and

therefore slaves had to be brought back to Africa to grow cash crops to

feed the ‘hungry’ industries in Europe.

Over production of goods like sugar, clothes made it necessary to re-settle

slaves so as to provide market for these excessive goods produced in

European industries.

Slave strikes had become so frequent e.g. they demanded holidays on

Sundays and worship rights hence there was need to abolish slave trade.

The abolition of the Trans- Atlantic slave trade in West Africa made it

equally important for the same trade to be abolished in E.A.

Change in politics of Europe meant that more Europeans were coming to

East Africa and therefore there was need to stop slave trade in East

Africa so as to create peace and security.

The issue of treaties against slave trade also led to the abolition of slave trade

e.g. the 1822 Moresby treaty, 1845 Hamerton treaty and 1873 Frere

treaty.

The role of missionaries under different religious groups e.g. they set up

homes for the freed slaves who were already Christian converts and this

encouraged the process of abolition of slave trade.

The role of the British navy led to the abolition of slave trade. It patrolled the

Indian Ocean waters to track down traders who were using it for

smuggling slaves.

European explorers had earlier on drawn the map of the interior of East

Africa which also encouraged the abolitionists to come to East Africa and

stop the trade.

Obstacles/problems faced during abolition of slave trade

Anti – slavery campaigns were only concentrated at the coast and on the

Indian Ocean waters neglecting the interior which was the heart of slave

trade.

Lack of co-operation from other European countries e.g. Spain, France and

Portugal etc…Which all looked at the British Anti – Slave trade campaign

as selfish.

It was a big financial burden for the Britain because she single handedly

patrolled the Indian Ocean waters and compensated slave traders.

Slavery was an accepted custom among many African societies because it

was a way of getting rid of wrong doers in the society e.g. criminals and

therefore African chiefs saw no problem with it.

Hostile tribes e.g. the Yao and Nyamwezi didn’t want any foreigner to cross

their land hence delaying the abolition process.

Freed slaves were also reluctant to be free because many of them didn’t have

any land, property and also lacked practical skills to sustain themselves.

Wild animals also scared the few abolitionists who attempted to go into the

interior mainly because East Africa was covered by thick forests.

Physical geographical barriers E.g. Rivers, lakes, valleys etc blocked the

movement of the abolitionists.

Tropical diseases e.g. Malaria, Sleeping sickness, typhoid reduced the number

of the abolitionists.

Lack of transport and communication lines i.e. there were no developed

roads leading into the interior.

 Language barrier i.e. abolitionists were not familiar with the languages of the

interior so they found it hard to negotiate with the traders to stop slave

trade.

Many people had migrated to different areas meaning that when the British

came in to stop slave trade they found it hard to bring together people

who had scattered in different areas.

The Arab slave traders were always armed with guns and were always

ready to fight whoever interfered with their trading activities.

There was lack of alternative means of transport to replace human

porterage which was mainly done by the slaves.

In some societies, there was no immediate alternative economic activity

because it was their only source of livelihood e.g. in Nyamwezi land where

it was very infertile for agriculture.

Slave traders were very cunning and they could always raise British flag

when they saw a British patrol ship approaching.

Steps Taken To Abolish Slave Trade

It was Britain that spear headed the campaign against slave trade in the

18th century.

In 1772, the Supreme court of England declared that Britain didn’t allow

slavery in England and those who owned slaves were supposed to free

them.

In 1807, through the effects of humanitarians (missionaries) and religious

leaders, the British parliament passed a law making slave trade illegal.
In 1815, the British navy started patrolling the Indian Ocean waters so as

to check on the shipment of slaves.

In 1822, the British used their influence to sign the Moresby treaty with

sultan Seyyid Said. Captain Fair Fox Moresby signed on behalf of the

British.

By this treaty, no more slaves were to be exported to India, Madagascar,

Mauritius and Christian countries.

In 1824, Captain Owen set up the Owen protectorate over Mombasa to stop

slave trade activities in the area.

However this didn’t work because slave trade was carried out along the

whole coast and not only at Mombasa.

In 1845, the Hamerton treaty was signed between Sultan Seyyid said and

colonel Hamerton.

The treaty persuaded Seyyid said to stop buying and selling slaves within

and outside East Africa.

Unfortunately, in 1856 Seyyid said died and colonel Hamerton also died in

1857.

Seyyid Said was succeeded by his son sultan Ibn Majid who was not to

co-operate with the British.

Therefore the process of abolishing slave trade came to a standstill.

It was not until 1870 when sultan Bargash took over the throne from

Sultan Majid.

In 1873, Sultan Bargash signed the Frere treaty with Sir Batte Frère to end

slavery at Zanzibar.
 All slave markets in Zanzibar were closed.

In 1890, Zanzibar became a British protectorate.

In 1897, the Zanzibar slave market was burnt down and this ended slavery

in Zanzibar and Pemba.

In 1919, Britain took over the control of Tanganyika.

She speeded up the process of ending slavery in mainland Tanganyika.

In 1921, the compete abolition process was achieved.

Britain imposed a law against slavery and this totally marked the end of

slavery.

Why did the process of abolition take so long?

The Indian Ocean was too big to be patrolled by British navy alone.

European super powers e.g. France and Germany were not willing the

support the abolition of slave trade because they still needed the slave

workers.

Britain lacked the funds for the campaign against slave trade i.e. it was very

expensive.

British war ships were always over powered by Arab slave traders because

they were always many and had guns.

The British were not familiar with all the various inlets and outlets used by

the Arab slave traders.

The abolition treaties signed were in most cases under looked by the slave

traders.
 Arab slave traders were very cunning e.g. they always used the American

flag once they saw the British patrol ships approaching.

East Africa lacked alternative means of transport to replace human

porterage which was mainly done by slaves.

Members of the British navy always suffered and died from tropical diseases

e.g. Malaria.

The freed slaves didn’t have any where to go after abolition of slave trade

hence the process was made long.

Interior chiefs e.g. Nyungu Ya Mawe, Mirambo, Kivoi, Mataka had built their

empires using slave trade wealth and were not ready to abolish slave

trade.

Physical barriers e.g. Forests Mountains, Rivers, Lakes etc always made the

work of the abolitionists very difficult.

There was language barrier which also delayed the abolition of slave trade.

Effects of the abolition of slave trade

There was decline of the former slave trading states e.g. Yao, and Nyamwezi

because they had lost their source of their economic power.

There was also loss of wealth and income to those individuals and societies

that greatly depended on slave trade.

The Yao who had made slave trade their sole occupation could not settle

down to do agriculture after slave trade was abolished.

There was population increase because the human exports that had

depopulated mainland East Africa had stopped.

Agriculture improved and new crops were introduced to facilitate the

transition from slave trade to legitimate trade e.g. coffee, tea and sisal,

e.t.c.

People started attending to their farm lands which they had neglected

during the slave trade era and this increased food production.

People regained their status and dignity that had been eroded by slavery

and slave trade.

Security greatly improved because slave raids that had de-stabilized the

interior were brought to an end.

The abolition increased the spread of Christianity and Western culture.

Missionaries therefore built mission stations, schools and hospitals for the

freed slaves.

Transport was improved. The Uganda railway was built to facilitate and aid

the transfer from slave trade to legitimate trade.

The abolition also led to the increase of European penetration into the

interior of E.A especially the humanitarians.

This subsequently led to the colonization of East Africa and this led to the loss

of independence by East African states.

The abolition of slave trade led to the introduction of legitimate trade. This

was the trade in natural products e.g. cotton, coffee, Tea, sisal, etc. but

not people.

Former slave trade routes later developed into proper communication lines

and this increased European penetration into the interior.

 The intertribal war that were always fought to acquire slaves were

minimized which brought in an era of peace and security.

Local people hated their traditional rulers who had collaborated with slave

traders i.e. there was hatred between who had participated in slave trade

and those who were opposed to it.

Explorers In East Africa and Their activities

From 1884, a growing number of Europeans picked interest in East Africa.

These came as explorers, missionaries, traders and later on imperialists

/colonialists.

Most Europeans were either sent by their home government or by

Organizations e.g. the R.G.S (Royal Geographical society), C.M.S (Church

missionary society) and L.M.S (London missionary society).

Others came as individuals e.g. Sir Samuel Baker and his wife and Dr. David

Livingstone.

Most Africans received them with open hands and offered them assistance not

knowing that their activities would eventually lead to loss of African

independence.

Explorers In East Africa

This was the 1st group of Europeans to penetrate into the interior of E.Africa.

They were interested in the geography of East Africa especially the River Nile

system.

The explorers included; Sir Samuel Baker and his wife, Richard Burton, John

Speke, Henry Morton Stanley, Dr. David Livingstone, James Grant, Jacob

Erhadt e.t.c.
The activities of these explorers eventually led to the colonization of East Africa.

The role played by explorers in the colonization of East Africa

They exaggerated the wealth of East Africa e.g. they reported about the

reliable rainfall and fertile soils e.g. in Buganda which attracted more

Europeans into East Africa.

They provided geographical information about East Africa which attracted

Europeans into East Africa e.g. John Speke discovered the source of the

River Nile.

The explorers destroyed the wrong impression that Africa was a ‘’ white

man’s grave ‘’ which led to an influx of Europeans into East Africa.

Some explorers signed treaties with African chiefs which were later used to

colonize such areas e.g. H.M Stanley requested Muteesa 1 of Buganda to

invite missionaries.

Explorers also drew maps which were later used by the colonialist to

penetrate the interior of East Africa e.g. Erhadt drew a map of East

Africa showing physical features.

They established good working relations with African chiefs e.g. Stanley with

Muteesa 1 which confused the Africans who thought that all white men

were good and welcomed colonialists.

They gave information about hostile and accommodative societies which

helped colonialists come well prepared e.g. Banyoro were branded hostile

while the Baganda were accommodative.

Explorers also exposed the horrors of slave trade e.g. Dr Livingstone and this

aroused public sympathy among Europeans to come and abolish the

trade leading to colonialism.

 The success of their adventures led to increased missionary activities in East

Africa e.g. Dr Livingstone persuaded missionaries to come and stop slave

trade leading to colonialism.

Explorers under their umbrella organizations also provided funds to those

who were willing to travel to Africa leading to an influx of Europeans e.g.

The Royal Geographical Society.

Some Explorers served as colonial administrators and provided labour force

for the colonial government e.g. Sir Samuel Baker became a governor of

the Equatorial Province.

Some explorers built forts which were later used as administrative centers

by colonialists e.g. sir Samuel Barker built Fort Patiko in Acholi and Sir

Gerald Portal built Fort Portal in Toro.

Explorers also discovered routes and navigable waters which simplified the

movement of future colonialists.

Christian Missionaries In East Africa

This was the 2nd group of Europeans to penetrate into the interior of East

Africa.

Missionaries also came to East Africa under several organization e.g.

Church Missionary Society led by Johann Ludwig Krapf and John Rebmann.

London Missionary Society led by Dr David Livingstone.

Holy Ghost fathers led by Father Homer.

White Fathers who were Catholics e.g. Father Lourdel and Brother Ammans.

Why the missionaries came to East Africa

They wanted the spread Christianity in East Africa because many of them

believed that Africans didn’t know anything about God.

Missionaries wanted to abolish slave trade and Slavery in East Africa because

they considered it to be inhuman.

Missionaries wanted to promote Western Education in order to civilize the

backward Africans.

Missionaries also wanted to create a civil society by eradicating African

Cultures and customs e.g. witchcraft and Killing of twins.

The success of earlier travels by Explorers also inspired missionaries to come

to East Africa.

Missionaries wanted to answer the call of the African desire of evangelism e.g.

Kabaka Muteesa 1 of Buganda sent a letter inviting missionaries through

Henry Morton Stanley.

Missionaries were also driven by the desire to reduce the spread of Islam

which they blamed for the slave trade in the interior.

They wanted to promote legitimate trade in East Africa after abolishing

slave trade e.g. by introducing cash crops like coffee and tea.

Some missionaries came to East Africa to complete the work of Dr David

Livingstone who had died in 1873 and had left a big part of his work

incomplete.

Missionaries also had the intention of improving on the living conditions of

Africans i.e. they wanted to fight diseases which had made life difficult

for Africans.
 Some missionaries came to East Africa for exploration and adventure e.g.

John Rebmann and Ludwig Krapf.

Missionaries also came to East Africa due to the industrial revolution which

had generated a lot of wealth for overseas adventures to spread

Christianity.

Missionaries were paving way for the European colonialists through their

wonderful teachings by softening the hearts of Africans.

Problems faced by missionaries in East Africa

Language barrier i.e. East Africa had many tribes and each had its own

language therefore forcing missionaries to rely on interpreters.

Tropical diseases also made their work difficult e.g. Dr. Livingstone died in

1873 due to Malaria.

Hostility from Islam especially at the coast because the Arabs created a big

challenge to the missionaries.

Transport was poor since there were no developed roads at the time and

missionaries had to walk very long distances from the coast to the

Interior.

Missionaries also faced difficult times in the interior due to hostile tribes e.g.

the Galla, Maasai and Nandi.

Geographical barriers also caused a lot of hardships to the missionaries e.g.

they had to cross lakes, rivers, thick forests, Mountains, rift valleys e.t.c.

East Africa was very far away from Europe and therefore missionaries

would not effectively communicate with their home government.

 Wild animals e.g. lions and leopards also made missionaries’ work difficult for

example some of them and their followers were eaten up by lions at

Tsavo.

Missionaries at times lacked enough supplies e.g. they ran short of funds, food

and medicines.

Missionary work was also hindered by their small number in East Africa yet

the area was very big.

In some cases, their porters deserted them and ran away with their

property e.g. Dr Livingstone lost his property to porters on his 2nd

journey to Tanganyika.

Missionaries were also mistaken for people with military assistance e.g.

Kabaka Muteesa 1 of Buganda expected them to give him guns to fight

Bunyoro.

Missionaries also had quarrels and rivalry among their different missionary

groups e.g. the W’ngereza-W’faransa wars (religious wars) in Buganda.

Some missionaries wasted a lot of time in other activities e.g. Johann

Rebmann turned to exploration and adventure instead of spreading

Christianity.

Missionaries were also disturbed by the traditionalists who threatened their

authority and beliefs e.g. Bishop Hannington was killed because he was

believed to be an enemy.

Effects of missionary activities

The missionaries converted many people to Christianity and up to today the

majority of the East Africans are Christians.

Missionaries built several schools in Uganda to increase literacy e.g. Gayaza

high school (1905), S.t Mary’s college Kisubi (1908) and King’s College

Budo (1906).

Missionaries also built several hospitals and provided better health services

e.g. Rubaga Hospital by the white fathers and Mengo Hospital by the

church missionary society.

Missionaries also set up technical and vocational schools to provide practical

skills, e.g. in carpentry and Tailoring and such schools ware built at Kisubi,

Iganga and soroti.

Churches were built wherever missionaries went and traditional shrines

were destroyed e.g. at Nsambya, Rubaga, Namirembe e.t.c.

Missionaries also brought a culture of morality, respect for life and created

a civil society e.g. the killing of twins in Bunyoro was abolished.

Missionaries fought slave trade by preaching equality of all men before God

and ended up setting up homes for freed slaves.

Missionaries also promoted the writing of East Africa’s Languages e.g. Dr

Krapf translated the Bible into Luganda.

Missionaries also introduced the growing of cash crops e.g. cotton, coffee and

pyrethrum.

Missionaries also opened up mission stations that later developed into urban

centers e.g. at Bagamoyo, Tabora, Kampala and Rabai Mpya.

Missionaries also created employment opportunities as many Africans who

were trained as nurses, teachers, interpreters or translators and

clergymen.
 Missionaries also introduced many new languages like Latin, German,

French and English which were taught to all students in missionary

schools.

Missionaries also carried out exploration work e.g. Dr Krapf discovered Mt

Kenya in 1849 and DR Rebmann discovered Mt Kilimanjaro in 1848.

Missionaries also introduced new styles of dressing, dancing, eating,

Marriage and burial which were all to be conducted religiously.

Missionaries divided Buganda and Uganda along religious lines e.g. political

parties like Democratic Party for Catholics and Uganda Peoples’ Congress

for Protestants.

Missionary education produced the pioneer nationalists of East Africa e.g.

Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya, Apollo Milton Obote in Uganda and Julius

Nyerere in Tanzania.

Missionaries also constructed many roads which improved the transport

sector in East Africa.

Effects of missionary activities on the Africans

Africans embraced Christianity and neglected their traditional religions.

Africans also neglected traditional medicines and went to missionary

hospitals for treatment.

Hospitals helped Africans to fight against the tropical diseases like malaria.

Disunity was created among Africans due to divisions along religious lines.

Africans attained western education by joining mission schools and

neglected local education.

 Africans adopted the growing of cash crops and neglected the growing of

traditional food crops.

Africans enjoyed improved standards of living e.g. improved medical care.

Urban centers were created in areas where missionaries settled e.g. Kampala

and Bagamoyo.

Africans adopted western cultures e.g. dressing and burial which were

conducted religiously.

Abolition of slave trade helped Africans to regain their dignity and respect.

Many Africans gained employment in the colonial government after

training e.g. secretaries.

Africans also acquired many technical skills after attending technical schools

e.g. building.

Missionary education led to the rise of African nationalism e.g. formation of

political parties.

African dropped some of their cultures and customs e.g. killing of twins in

Bunyoro.

African minds were softened due to their wonderful preachings to easily

allow colonialism.

Africans were convinced to sign treaties which eventually led to loss of their

land e.g. 1900 Buganda agreement.

The role played by missionaries in the colonization of East Africa

Through their wonderful preachings, missionaries softened the heart and

minds of the Africans who welcomed colonialism with open arms.

They often called on home governments to occupy areas where they worked

leading to eventual colonisation.

They involved themselves in the over throw of local rulers who were resisting

Europeans e.g. Kabaka Mwanga was overthrown and replaced by a

‘ Puppet ‘ Kabaka Daudi Chwa.

Missionaries only settled in areas where their home governments had

economic interests which attracted colonialists to come and take over

such areas e.g. in Buganda.

Missionaries also convinced Africa chiefs into singing treaties which were

later used to colonise such areas e.g. Bishop Tucker assisted in the singing

of the 1900 Buganda Agreement.

Missionaries laid a firm economic foundation for the colonial government to

survive on by encouraging the growing of cash crops.

They helped to finance other colonial agents e.g. The Church Missionary

Society in 1891 injected 50,000 pounds into the activities of IBEACO

which was also used in the colonisation process.

Missionaries divided Africans along religious lines hence creating disunity e.g.

in Buganda, Kabaka Mwanga was disunited from his subjects or followers

who could not unite to fight colonialism.

Missionaries helped to abolish slave trade and this created a conducive

atmosphere for European settlement in East Africa leading to

colonization.

Missionaries identified hostile and accommodative societies e.g. Buganda was

accommodative while Nandi were branded hostile which helped the

colonialists to deal with the people accordingly.

 Missionaries also built schools in which Africans were brain washed to believe

that everything western was good hence the Africans embraced colonial

rule with open hands.

Missionary education and teachings created a class of collaborators e.g. Sir

Apollo Kaggwa, Semei Kakungulu who helped in extending colonial rule.

Missionaries also set up mission stations e.g. at Bagamoyo and Rabai Mpya

which were later used as administrative posts by colonialists.

Missionaries also encouraged the use of foreign language e.g. English and

Latin and this made communication between the Africans and

colonialists very easy.

Missionaries constructed hospitals to provide health services which were

later used by colonialists to fight against the burden of tropical diseases.

Missionary Activities In Buganda

The 1st missionaries to arrive were the Church Missionary Society Protestant

missionaries in 1876 and these were Rev. Alexander Mackay, Rev. C.T. Wilson

and Sir Gold Smith.

In 1879, Roman Catholic Missionaries led by Fr Simon Lourdel and Brother

Ammans under the white fathers arrived at Kabaka Muteesa 1’s palace.

In 1896, the Mill hill Fathers arrived who were also Catholics.

The Verona Fathers (Catholics) were the last to arrive from Sudan in 1910.

Why Kabaka Muteesa 1 invited missionaries

Muteesa 1 wanted to answer H. M Stanley’s request for missionaries to come

to Buganda and did not want to disappoint his visitors.

Muteesa 1 also hoped that he would enhance prestige among his fellow

African chiefs by inviting white men to his palace.

Muteesa 1 was also tired of the constant raids and demands from Muslims

and traditionalists and hoped that missionaries would help him solve

these conflicts.

Muteesa 1 also wanted to make strong ties with their countries of origin

because they were powerful states.

He was a modernizer who believed that missionaries were the right people

to help him modernize Buganda.

He expected to get military assistance from missionaries against his

traditional enemy Bunyoro.

He expected military help against Egyptian aggressors who were busy

extending the equatorial province south wards.

Muteesa 1 also expected military help against Sudanese mercenaries who

were hired to attack Buganda from the north.

He wanted the missionaries to teach Christianity to his people since H. M

Stanley had convinced him that the faith would be good for his people.

Muteesa 1 also hoped that his people would gain from missionaries’

knowledge and technical skills.

Muteesa 1 was also ignorant and did not know the intensions of the

missionaries but simply invited them.

Christianity had softened Muteesa 1’s heart and he ended up inviting the

missionaries to Buganda.
 Muteesa also expected gifts from them in form of clothes, glassware and

mirrors.

Introduction to religious wars

These were also known as the religious wars in Buganda.

They were fought between four different religious groups in Buganda i.e.

Protestants, Catholics, traditionalists and Moslems.

They were fought between 1885 and 1900.

Causes of religious wars

The struggle by each religious group to win as many converts as possible led

to confusion within Buganda hence resulting into the religious wars.

Each religious group was struggling to win the favor and recognition of the

Kabaka Muteesa 1, hence resulting into the religious wars.

The death of Muteesa 1 in 1884 created a political vacuum in Buganda

hence leading to confusion with in Buganda.

The differences in the teaching of the different religious groups also confused

the followers resulting into the religious wars.

Christians didn’t want to be dominated by the Muslims who were also

unwilling to be dominated by Christians i.e. each group considered the

other to be pagans.

Imperial rivalry between France and Britain during the scramble and

partition also led to the outbreak of the wars the between Catholics and

Protestants respectively.
There was also mistrust between the different Christian groups because each

group wanted to dominate political offices in Buganda resulting into the

wars.

A rumor had circulated within Buganda that while in exile at Kabula,

Kabaka Mwanga was learning Anglicanism and therefore the Catholics

wanted the over throw him.

The traditionalists hated Christians because they had undermined

Buganda’s cultural beliefs independence.

The involvement of IBEACO in Buganda’s politics also led to these wars e.g.

in 1891, Captain Lugard armed the Protestants with 500 guns to fight

the Catholics.

The pages/servants at the Kabaka’s court (palace) were always questioning

the Kabaka’s authority which forced Mwanga to kill thirty of them

leading to the religious wars.

Mwanga’s arrogance, inconsistence and unfriendly relations with

missionaries also contributed to the outbreak of the religious wars.

The Catholics also accused Kabaka Mwanga of accepting IBEACO to work in

Buganda because it was mistreating the Catholics.

Each religious group wanted very many pages at the Kabaka’s palace and

this resulted into the wars.

Kabaka Mwanga’s failure to control foreigners at his palace resulted into

conflicts between the different groups.

The role of Arabs who misguided Kabaka Mwanga that Christians wanted to

take over his kingdom also led to the wars.

 The murder of Bishop Hannington in Busoga in 1885 following the orders

of Kabaka Mwanga also angered the Christians who resorted to war in

order to overthrow Mwanga.

The killing of the Uganda martyrs at Namugongo in 1886 also caused a lot

of chaos and confusion within Buganda resulting into the religious wars.

Course of the religious wars

These were the conflicts between the Christians, Muslims and traditionalists

in Buganda.

These wars took place between 1885 to 1890.

By 1877, the Protestant missionaries under the Church Missionary Society

arrived in Buganda.

In 1879, the Roman Catholic missionaries also arrived in Buganda.

All these groups had come after the invitation from Kabaka Muteesa 1 of

Buganda.

These two Christian groups were soon fighting for political influence at the

Kabaka’s court.

In 1884, Kabaka Muteesa 1 died and was succeeded by Kabaka Mwanga.

By this time, Muslims who had stayed longer in Buganda used their influence

to warn Mwanga that the Christians wanted to take over his kingdom.

Kabaka Mwanga’s arrogance forced him to respond by denouncing all the

new religions that never respected his authority.

In 1885, Bishop Hannington was killed in this crisis in Busoga following the

orders of Kabaka Mwanga.

In 1886, many Christian converts were burnt to death at Namugongo also

following the orders of Kabaka Mwanga.

Sensing continued instability, Kabaka Mwanga planned to chase away all the

religious factions from Buganda including Christians and Muslims.

But they discovered his plan and the religious groups combined to overthrow

him.

Thereafter, they installed Kabaka Kiwewa as the successor to Kabaka

Mwanga.

By this time, Muslims were the strongest faction and they soon deposed

Kiwewa for refusing to be circumcised.

Kalema was installed as the new Kabaka after deposing Kiwewa.

Muslims started persecuting Christians who fled to Kabula in Nkore.

Christians reorganized themselves and Catholics came under leadership of

Nyonyintono Honerat while Protestants came under Apollo Kaggwa.

In 1890, Christian factions deposed the Muslims and Mwanga was

reinstated with a lot of Catholic sympathies.

In the same year (1890), Captain Lugard arrived in Uganda as a

representative of IBEACO.

Lugard used protestant missionaries to influence Mwanga for a treaty with

Britain.

Thereafter, he armed the Protestants with 500 guns and this caused more

fighting against the Catholics and Muslims.

 Muslims then fled to Bunyoro and Captain Lugard also followed them after

realizing that Catholics also wanted him dead.

In 1893, Sir Gerald Portal signed a treaty with Mwanga.

In 1894, a protectorate was declared over Uganda.

In 1897, Mwanga was overthrown and replaced by his infant son Daudi

Chwa II.

Mwanga then Joined Kabalega in a rebellion in the North and the two were

captured by Kakungulu.

In March 1900, the Buganda agreement was signed and this ended the

religious wars in Buganda.

Effects of the religious wars

The wars divided the Baganda and the whole of Uganda along religious lines.

The wars subsequently created enmity between the followers of the different

religious groups.

They led to the formation of political parties along religious lines such as

U.P.C (Uganda Peoples’ Congress) for Protestants and D.P (Democratic

Party) for the Catholics.

Many people were killed during the wars e.g. 30 converts (Uganda martyrs)

were murdered in 1886 at Namugongo.

Many people who had supported the Protestants gained political offices in

Buganda upon victory e.g. Semei Kakungulu and Apollo Kaggwa.

Armed Christian groups were formed in order to defend themselves e.g. the

Protestants had 500 guns given to them by Captain Fredrick Lugard.

Political offices in Buganda were allocated along religious lines e.g. Katikiro

/Prime minister was to be a Protestant where as Omulamuzi or chief

justice was to be a Catholic.

The Catholics and Muslims were sidelined at Mengo and therefore remained

in political inferiority.

Schools in Buganda were run on sectarian ground e.g. Kings College Budo

was for the Protestants and st Mary’s College Kisubi was for the Catholics.

The 20 counties of Buganda were allocated on religious grounds.

The Protestants got 12 counties, 8 for the Catholics and 2 for the Muslims.

The Wars confused Mwanga to the extent of failing to decide on which

religion to follow thus he kept on wavering his support from one group

to another.

Mwanga was later forced to exile where he accepted Christianity along

protestant lines taking the name Daniel.

The Wars also led to the eventual colonization of Uganda as Christian

Missionaries especially Protestants called upon the British to take over

Uganda to protect their lives and interests.

Led to the rise of different personalities e.g. Sir Apollo Kaggwa and Semei

Kakungulu.

The wars slowed down growth of nationalism in Uganda due to divisions

along religious lines.

Christianity was wide spread within Buganda and Uganda at large.

The wars caused massive destruction of property in Buganda.

 Buganda’s traditional religion greatly declined due to wide spread

Christianity.

The confusion created by the wars led to the signing of the 1900 Buganda

Agreement.

Islam was greatly reduced in influence within Buganda.

Many people fled to other parts of Uganda due to insecurity in Buganda e.g.

fled to Bunyoro.

Chartered Companies

The 3rd group of Europeans to penetrate into the interior of E.A was the

traders.

They came in large numbers after the successful mission of explorers and

missionaries.

Traders basically came for commercial reasons e.g. looking for cheap sources of

raw materials, new markets and new areas for investment.

On arrival the traders formed companies and associations to operate in East

Africa and most prominent ones were;

Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEACO) which operated in Uganda and

Kenya.

German East Africa Company (GEACO) which operated in Tanganyika.

The Role Of Chartered Companies In The Colonization Of East Africa

They provided the initial skilled man power for the administration of their

areas of influence e.g. captain Fredrick Lugard (IBEACO) and Captain

Karl peters (GEACO).

The traders financed the colonial administration on behalf of their respective

home government e.g. I.B.E.A.CO on behalf of the British government.

The traders fought and defeated rebellious societies e.g. IBEACO defeated

Bunyoro, Nandi and Maasai while the G.E.A.CO fought /defeated the

Abushiri Arabs.

The traders also developed transport and communication networks e.g.

IBEACO constructed Murram roads and even designed the plan for the

Uganda railway.

They under took businesses that generated funds that supported colonialism

e.g. they encouraged people to grow cash crops.

They constructed administrative posts, forts and garrisons which were later

used by the colonial government e.g. at Old Kampala, Naivasha,

Machakos e.t.c.

They created security organs which improved on internal security e.g.

IBEACO built a private army which was later used in the colonization of

Uganda.

They helped in the effective abolition of slave trade and establishments of

legitimate trade.

The Chartered companies protected Christian missionaries who were also

colonial agents e.g. IBEACO’S private army always provided security to

the Church Missionary society.

Chartered companies also provided their home governments which

information about the economic potential of east Africa e.g. IBEACO

reported about the fertile soils of Uganda and the Kenya highlands which

later attracted colonialists.

 They signed treaties with the local people that were later used by their home

government to occupy E. Africa e.g. IBEACO signed treaties with the

Baganda, Kikuyu and Masai.

The chartered companies called on their home governments as a result of

failure to administer e.g. when IBEACO ran bankrupt that called on the

British government to take over.

The traders only settled in areas where their colonial governments had

economic interests so that it would be easy for the colonialists to settle

with in East Africa.

The rivalry between IBEACO and GEACO forced them to sign the Anglo –

German agreement of 1890 (Heligoland treaty) which practically

eroded the independence of E.Africa.

Company officials strongly campaigned for the retention of their areas of

influence e.g. captain Lugard Fredrick strongly supported Britain

colonize Uganda because IBEACO had done all the underground work.

Problems faced by charted companies / traders in east africa.

Tropical diseases e.g. malaria and Sleeping Sickness always claimed the lives

of many traders making their work difficult.

Harsh Climatic conditions e.g. too much rain, sunshine while some areas

were too dry e.g. Taru desert in Kenya.

Language barrier mainly because East Africa had main tribes which used

different languages.

Poor transport and communication in East Africa also hindered the work of

the traders.
Wild animals e.g. lions and leopards that were many at the time also made

their work difficult.

Frequent rebellions also frustrated the traders making their work difficult

e.g. IBEACO faced resistance from Bunyoro, Masai, and Baganda.

Geographical barriers e.g. Mountains, Lakes, Forests e.t.c made their

movements very difficult.

Theft of their property by the porters and guides also affected the work of

the traders in the interior.

Lack of funds i.e. the companies lacked a steady source of income to meet the

costs of administration.

Some of the African chiefs were reluctant to trade with the companies and

they imposed heavy taxes.

There was rivalry between the different companies of the Europeans e.g.

IBEACO always rivaled GEACO.

Lack of man power i.e. the companies lacked effective and good

administrators because the company officials were few.

The companies also lacked enough supplies e.g. food, drugs and clothes

because it was difficult to get them from their home government.

The companies also lacked proper communication between their

headquarters in Europe and their headquarters in East Africa.

The companies always faced strong opposition from the Swahili and Arab

slave traders who were always armed with guns.

 IBEACO involved itself in the politics /religious wars in Buganda and this

strained the company’s budget because the wars were very expensive to

fund.

Scramble and partition of East Africa

The word scramble refers to the rush by European powers to acquire colonies

in East Africa.

Partition refers to the division of East African territories among European

countries i.e.

Uganda, Kenya and Zanzibar for Britain and

Tanganyika for Germany.

Reasons for the scramble and partition of East Africa

Need for raw materials i.e. most Europeans nations wanted to control

areas of cheap raw materials to feed their ‘hungry’ industries

back home e.g. cash crops and minerals.

There was the need to secure profitable market overseas for the European

goods which had over flooded the European markets.

There was need to secure areas where surplus capital would be invested i.e.

the industrial revelation had generated a lot of wealth for the Europeans

who wanted to set up plantations and exploit minerals.

There was need to resettle the excess population in Europe especially the

slaves who had become useless after the invention of machines.

The strategic. Importance of River Nile also forced European powers to

scramble for East Africa i.e. after Britain had occupied Egypt; she wanted
 to control all the countries through which R. Nile passed i.e. Uganda and

Sudan while Kenya was to provide an in-let for Uganda at the coast.

King Leopold’s activities in Congo i.e. The Belgians had gained a lot of

wealth from the minerals and forest resources in the Congo and

this forced other European powers e.g. Germany and Britain to

rush to E. A so as to exploit her resources.

Mineral discovery in S. Africa in 1867 by the Dutch also forced other

European powers to rush to E. Africa with the hope of exploiting

minerals.

The growth of nationalism in Europe created the need for international

recognition and prestige among European countries i.e. a country with

many colonies was considered great and superior.

Power imbalance in Europe also created a need for colonies e.g. after the

1870—1871 Franco – Prussian war France lost her mineral rich

provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. This caused her to rush to Africa to

compensate for her loss and similar Germany and Britain could not sit

back.

The Berlin conference of 1884 — 1885 also increased the need for colonies

by European powers i.e. it was a platform that was used to divide African

territories among European super powers.

The European powers had a desire of stamping out slave trade which they

regarded as evil and a crime against humanity.

European powers wanted to spread Christianity because they didn’t want to

see Africans go to hell. I.e. E. Africa was seen as a place where seeds of

Christianity would be sown.

 Europeans also wanted to civilize Africans who were considered backward

and barbaric and this was to be done through the introduction to

western Education.

The Anglo-German Conflicts (1885-1890)

The Anglo-German Conflicts (1885-1890), After the 1884-85 Berlin

conference, Britain and Germany started sending traders into East Africa.

They were to acquire necessary raw materials for their industries and also

prepare the way for colonial agents.

Britain sent the British East Africa Association (B.E.A.A) and Germany sent the

German East Africa Association (G.E.A.A).

Causes of the Anglo-German conflicts between 1885-1890

A conflict arose between the two groups of traders over an area of about

800 miles inland from the coast.

German East Africa Association took over the area yet British East Africa

Association had reached an agreement with Sultan Bargash to trade in

the mainland.

Germany was afraid that Britain might join with the British South Africa

company to force her out of Tanganyika.

The British were also afraid that the German East Africa Association might

link up with Uganda and push them out of Kenya.

Between 1886 – 1890, there was a race for the total control of Uganda

between the British and the Germans.

In 1890, Karl Peters signed a friendship agreement with Kabaka Mwanga

of Buganda which worried the British.

 Fredrick Jackson tried to secure a similar treaty for the British but Kabaka

Mwanga refused.

When it was rumoured that the German commissioner would visit Buganda,

the British anxiety increased/heightened.

Between 1887 and 1889, the Mahdi of Sudan besieged Emin Pasha who

was the Egyptian Equatorial Province Governor.

Karl Peters had that Fredrick Jackson was on the way to relieve the siege

which would mean that the area would be taken over by Britain.

However, Henry Morton Stanley rescued Emin Pasha before Karl Peters or

Fredrick Jackson arrived.

In 1888, the Imperial British East Africa Company (I.B.E.A.C.O) was given

a charter/license to protect all areas of British interest.

How were the conflicts solved?

Negotiations between the British and Germans were used to solve the

conflicts.

These involved the 1st Anglo-German agreement of 1886 and 2nd

Anglo-German agreement of 1890.

By 1886, the Sultan’s area of control was limited to a ten mile coastal strip

and the rest of the area was to be in the hands of the Europeans.

The sultan also acquired the coastal towns of Brava, Kismayo and Merca.

The German sphere of influence was to consist of the area beyond the ten

mile coastal strip from river Ruvuma in the south and river Umba on the

foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

 The British sphere of influence comprised of the area north of river Umba

and north of river Kilimanjaro.

Modern Kenya was to be a German enclave because it was smaller than

Tanganyika.

However, the 1886 agreement did not cater for Uganda which led to

another scramble.

This resulted into the 2nd Anglo-German Agreement of 1890 popularly

known as the Heligoland Treaty.

Britain got Uganda and Uganda received Heligoland in compensation.

The ten mile coastal strip that originally belonged to the Sultan was given

to the Germans.

The Germans gave up with their conflicts with the British after getting the

coastal strip.

Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia were to be under the British.

The area from river Umba was extended westwards across Lake Victoria.

In 1894, Uganda was declared a British protectorate.

The Uganda-Tanganyika border was extended westwards to the Congo

border.

The 1890 agreement virtually solved the conflicts between the Germans

and the British.

Effective occupation by the colonial governments ended the conflicts.

Effects of the Anglo-German conflicts

 The conflicts led to the partition of East Africa i.e. Uganda and Kenya for

Britain and Tanganyika for the Germans.

The partition of East Africa completely eroded the independence of the East

African societies.

The boundaries of the East African countries were clearly drawn to include

some parts of Congo.

New forms of administration were introduced in E.Africa i.e. indirect rule by

the British and direct rule by the Germans.

The conflicts increased tension between the Germans and the British by

causing a lot of anxiety and mistrust from each group.

These conflicts led to diplomatic relations which led to the signing of the 1st

and 2nd Anglo-German agreements.

The Sultan of Zanzibar completely lost control over the coastal strip of land

to the Europeans.

There was increased European influx into East Africa.

Uganda developed into a protectorate colony and Kenya became a settler

colony.

The British formed a strong army of the King’s African Rifles (K.A.R) to

prepare for any confrontation from the Germans in future.

Colonial economic policies were introduced in East Africa e.g. forced labour

and taxation.

Africans lost their authority to the colonial masters and became subjects.

The First Anglo – German Agreement (1886)

After the paper work in Berlin was done, the next major step in the actual

partition of E.A was the signing to the 1st Anglo – German

agreement of 1886.

At first, Britain was reluctant to sign any agreements with Germany.

Karl Peters had signed treaties with African chiefs like Mwanga of Buganda and

the chief of the Wanga society but went ahead to sign the 1st agreement with

the British.

Terms of the first Anglo – German agreement

East Africa was to be divided into two from the coast up to Lake Victoria.

The Southern part was to belong to German and the northern part was to

belong to Britain.

The islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Brava, and Mogadishu, all on the

Indian Ocean were to belong to the sultan the Zanzibar.

Both German and Britain were not to interfere with the area under the

Sultan of Zanzibar whatsoever.

Claims over the Kilimanjaro district were to be settled between the two

powers because Britain had arrived first in the area before the Germans.

The Second Anglo – German Agreement (1890)

It was signed in July 1890 and came to be known as the Heligoland treaty.

Terms of the Heligoland treaty

Germany was to lose the Northern area i.e. the Wanga area (Western Kenya)

to the British who would in turn lose the Kilimanjaro area.

The Islands of Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba were to be given to the British.
 Uganda and Kenya were to be confirmed as Britain spheres of influence.

Uganda was to become a protectorate while Kenya was to become a settler

colony.

The agreement was to mark the end of political and commercial importance

of Zanzibar since it had become part of the British sphere of influence.

Colonial rule and economic policies like taxation, cash crop growing were to

be introduced.

Effects Of The Partition

The partition of East Africa completely eroded the independence of the East

African societies.

The boundaries of the E.African countries were clearly drawn.

Many people in E. Africa lost their land to the whites who introduced cash

crops e.g. coffee, wheat, sisal.

Many people lost their lives as they tried to resist colonial rule.

The partition marked the end of slave trade and legitimate trade was

introduced.

The partition led to the formation of chartered companies e.g. IBEACO and

GEACO to exploit East Africa’s resources.

African kings and chiefs lost their authority to the whites especially in

Tanganyika.

It led to the introduction of taxes e.g. gun and hut tax.

The partition led to the development of infrastructures in East Africa e.g.

Uganda railway.
 The partition increased the rivalry between Germany and Britain.

The partition accelerated or increased missionary work in E.A.

The partition resulted into the separation of people who previously belonged

to one tribe e.g. the Samia in Uganda and Kenya, Masai in Kenya and

Tanzania, Banyankole in Uganda and Rwanda.

The partition also accelerated tribalism as the Europeans tended to support

collaborators against resistors.

Africans that previously grew crops for their own consumption were now

forced to grow crops that they could not eat e.g. coffee, tea, cotton and

sisal.

The partition ended the long distance trade and led to the fall of trading

empires of Mirambo, Nyungu ya mawe and Tippu –Tip.

The partition led to the rise of a class of African collaborators who worshiped

the white man e.g. Semei Kakungulu, Nuwa Mbaguta, Sir Apollo Kaggwa,

Nabongo Mumia (Wanga).

After the partition, the colonialists began a process of developing their

colonies e.g. They constructed roads and railway lines to help out in the

exploitation of East Africa’s resources.

Methods used

They used a number of methods / tactics / Techniques to achieve their goal

of colonizing Uganda.

In most cases, the method used always depended on each society’s attitude.

In most cases, more than one method was used.

Singing of treaties; The treaties were later used to claim effective occupation

e.g. 1900 Buganda agreement, 1901 Ankole agreement and 1902 Toro

agreement.

Use of force; in areas that were hostile to the British, direct military

confrontation was used e.g. in Bunyoro and Acholi Land.

Use of collaborators; These were opportunists who were used by the British

to spread colonial rule to other areas e.g. Semei Kakungulu was used by

the British to extend colonial rule to the Eastern parts of Uganda e.g.

Busoga, Bukedi, Budaka, Bugisu and Budama.

Divide and rule; This was used in areas where two or more unfriendly

societies were encouraged to remain hostile to each other e.g. the British

supported Buganda against Bunyoro.

Intimidation and threats; These were used to scare off would be resistors e.g.

Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda and Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro were

exiled at the Seychelles island on the Indian Ocean.

Ineffective rule; This method was used in areas where the British were not

in a hurry to take over e.g. Karamoja region.

Use of Missionaries: – These softened the hearts of Africans with wonderful

preaching and they managed to convinced African chiefs to sign treaties

e.g. in Buganda.

Use of traders (chartered companies); they used IBEACO and it did a lot of

ground work for the British e.g. it defeated rebellious societies,

encouraged war between protestants and catholic in Buganda. All this

created disunity among Africans which made colonialism easy.

 Use of explorers; these established good working relations with African chiefs

and also provided the geographical information which was later used by

the colonialists.

Construction of military forts; These were set up in areas which had hostile

communities e.g. Fort Patiko in Acholi land, Fort Portal in Western

Uganda, and Fort Lugard in Old Kampala.

Construction of infrastructure; These were for consolidations of colonial rule

and for effective occupation of their areas of influence e.g. Uganda

Railway.

Gun – Boat diplomacy; through this, the British would simply parade their

weapons to scare off African resistors e.g. in areas like Busoga.

Use of treachery / carrot stick diplomacy; In some cases, the British

pretended to be friendly to the Africans only to turn around later e.g.

they befriended Kabaka Mwanga but later sent him to exile.

Extension Of Colonial Rule In Uganda

In July 1890, the Heligoland treaty was signed between the British and

Germans.

It was to define the boarders of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

In 1894, Uganda was declared a British protectorate which confirmed

British control over Uganda.

In December 1895, the Busoga chief Wakholi signed an agreement with the

British to bring Busoga under the British protectorate.

In March 1900, the Buganda agreement was signed and it confirmed and

Buganda as a British Protectorate.

In June 1900, the Toro agreement was signed with Omukama Daudi

Kasagama to confirm Toro as a British protectorate.

In August 1901, the Ankole agreement was signed with Prime Minister

Nuwa Mbaguta and this made Ankole part of the protectorate.

No agreement was signed with Bunyoro because of Kabalega’s hostility to the

British.

The British used mercenaries from Buganda, Busoga, Sudan to crush

Kabalega’s resistance.

Buganda agents like John Miti was sent to Bunyoro to help the British in

administrating.

During the same period, the British were also using collaborators e.g. Semei

Kakungulu to extend colonial rule to Eastern Uganda.

By 1901, Kakungulu had annexed Bugishu, Bukedi, Budama, Teso, Budaka

and Kumam areas.

The British who had neglected Northern Uganda started opening up posts

e.g. in Gulu in 1910, Lango in 1910, and Kitgum in 1912.

In 1913, the British crushed the Lamogi rebellion and they established their

rule in Acholi land.

In 1913, military rule was established in Karamoja.

By 1914, West Nile region was annexed to the British protectorate from

Sudan.

By 1920, almost the whole of Uganda was under British rule except for

Karamoja which was still under military rule.

 Karamoja only became part of the British protectorate in 1926.

Problems faced by the british in their extension of colonial rule.

There were so many revolts/ rebellions against British rule e.g. Lamogi

rebellion in Acholi (1911 – 1912) Nyangire rebellion in Bunyoro (1907)

and Nyabinji rebellion in Ankole.

In societies where there was no central authority e.g. in Northern and

eastern Uganda the British faced a problem of creating such authority.

The Kiganda model of administration failed miserably because most areas

did not have centralized governments.

Most of the Baganda agents that were used by the British were simply

opportunists e.g. Semei Kakungulu, Sir Apollo Kaggwa.

There was language barrier because each tribe in Uganda had its own

language yet a few people by that time had learnt English.

Poor transport and communication facilities i.e. Roads to Northern and

North Eastern Uganda were very poor.

They faced a problem of introducing a uniform economic activity in Uganda

e.g. Ankole rejected cash crop growing.

Religious wars that were fought in Buganda created confusion and insecurity

in the protectorate.

Diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness made in work to the colonial

administration very difficult.

They failed to understand the cultures of the people of Uganda and this led

to resistance from the local people.

 The cost of administration was very high e.g. they had to pay the

collaborators e.g. Semei Kakungulu.

Lack of manpower also hindered the work of British administration e.g. they

only had 40 trained white personnel to supervise the whole of Uganda.

The Baganda who first co-operated with the British later turned against

them and started making their work difficult e.g. in 1896, Kabaka

Mwanga ordered for the killing of the 30 Uganda Martyrs.

With the growth to Nationalism in Uganda, political parties were formed

which always demanded for independence e.g. D.P and U.P.C.

The 1900 Buganda agreement caused more problems because it gave land

that had previously belonged to Bunyoro to Buganda.

Administrative Polices

After acquiring territories in East Africa, the British and Germans used

different methods to administer.

The British used Indirect rule while the Germans employed the Direct rule

system.

Nature Of Indirect Rule

This was a colonial administrative method that was used by the British

during the period of colonialism particularly in Uganda.

On top of the administration was the colonial secretary, who was based in

London.

He was the minister in charge of colonies.

Below him was the governor based in the respective colony.

For Uganda, Entebbe was the Headquarter.

Below the governor were the provincial and district commissioners heading

every province.

These took orders from the governor and worked under his close supervision.

All the above mentioned posts were strictly reserved for the British or

Whites.

Blacks or Africans were involved in administration at the lower levels.

The county chiefs (Ssaza chiefs) followed in line and took orders from

provincial commissioners and passed them on to the sub-county chiefs

(Gombolola chiefs).

Below the sub county chiefs were the parish chiefs (muluka chiefs), who

would in turn pass on the orders to the sub parish chiefs (Omutongole).

Below the sub parish chiefs were the village headsmen (Abakulu be kyalo)

who would then pass on the orders to the common man.

All the chiefs from county level up to the village headsman formed a Chain

of command.

Indirect rule was based on the assumption that every area had to be

centralized like Buganda.

When the system failed in Northern and Eastern Uganda, the British used

Buganda agents e.g. Semei Kakungulu to introduce the Kiganda model

of administration in those areas.

The local chiefs were in charge of tax collection, mobilizing people for public

work and presiding over local courts of law.

 The whites would only come in case of resistances from the Africans and they

were also in charge of planning the economy of the colony.

Why The British Applied Indirect Rule In Uganda

The system was economically cheap i.e. it needed very few whites and the

chiefs were paid very little or nothing at all.

The British feared opposition from Africans because they believed that the

traditional chiefs were respected by their subjects.

The British wanted the Africans chiefs to act as shock absorbers, in case

of any opposition from the Africans it would appear as if the orders

came from Africans .

The British admired the Kiganda model of administration; hence they did

not want to destroy the traditional systems of governance.

The traditional chiefs understood their people better e.g. in terms of

Language, customs and culture.

This system had already been successful elsewhere e.g. India, Egypt and

Nigeria hence they needed to use it in Uganda.

The system of indirect rule was intended by the British to preserve and

protect and develop the Africans’ political and social institutions in order

to prepare the Africans for independence.

Indirect rule was used to reward societies which had collaborated with the

British e.g. Buganda was left with its independent institution.

The British also wanted to look unique because they never wanted to use the

same system as their enemy, the Germans who used direct rule while the

French had used assimilation.

 The African chiefs were also considered to be immune to the African

problems e.g. Diseases, wild animals, harsh climate e.t.c.

Uganda was too big yet whites were very few and therefore could not

administer the whole of Uganda.

Some areas were too remote with poor roads, no hospitals, no schools and

therefore the British feared for their lives in such areas.

The existence of the centralized system of the administration also called for

the use of indirect rule because the British didn’t want to create new

Effects

The system created a class of ambitious Africans who were more than willing

to do anything to please the British. These later became collaborators e.g.

Semei Kakungulu, Sir Apollo Kaggwa.

The system encouraged tribalism because each society was administered at

tribal level and therefore unity against foreign rule was difficult.

The British tended to favour Buganda over other areas because they greatly

admired the Kiganda model of administration compared to other regions’

systems of administration.

Indirect rule enabled the British to effectively exploit Uganda’s resources e.g. the

Africans were forced to grow cash crops, provide labour on European farms

and pay taxes.

Serious education for the Africans was totally neglected and many were given

elementary education. As a result, many became clerks, secretaries, office

messengers and interpreters.

Indirect rule created a class of conservative Africans who were totally against

any new idea and these felt so comfortable under British rule. E.g. Semei

Kakungulu.

Indirect rule saved Uganda from becoming a settler colony because there was

no need for the British to come, dominate and finally settle here because the

African chiefs were doing the job well.

Indirect rule brought religion into the politics of Buganda and Uganda at large.

E.g. in Buganda, the Katikiro (prime minister) had to be a protestant.

Indirect rule tended to favour Protestants compared to other religious groups

in Uganda.

The system dehumanized and demoralized African chiefs i.e. many were not

pleased with the changes but they had no option or to lose their leadership

posts.

The African chiefs earned themselves hatred, dislike and disrespect from their

subjects who looked at them as traitors who had “sold” them to the British

colonialists.

Indirect rule greatly affected the spread of Islamic faith because many people

became Christians as the British tended to favour Christians particularly

protestants.

Indirect led to the loss of land by the Africans as a result of the British

introducing the forceful growing of cash crops.

Indirect rule led to the a lot of suffering on the side of the Africans as many were

left in poverty after losing their land to the British, paying heavy taxes and

receiving poor education systems.

Indirect rule led to the outbreak of resistances against the whites as a result of

the Africans getting fed up of forced cash crop growing, payment of heavy

taxes and loss of independence e.g. Lamogi rebellion in Acholi land.

British Colonial Economic Policies

After acquiring and establishing their rule in Uganda and Kenya the British

carried out a number of economic and social policies which helped them

maintain their stay in East Africa.

The economic policies included the following;

Agriculture: the British introduced compulsory growing of cash crops in

order to make Africans meet their own costs of administration e.g.

Kenneth Borup introduced cotton in 1905.

Taxation: the Africans were introduced to a new system of paying taxes in

cash form, a system that was totally new to them. Hut and gun tax

became compulsory.

Industrialisation: the British destroyed traditional industries to make

Africans totally dependent on European made goods. They only set up

small processing plants like ginneries to reduce on the bulk of raw

materials for export.

Forced labour: Africans were forced to provide labour on large plantations,

and in the construction of roads, railways, ports and harbours.

Land alienation: Africans lost a lot of their land to the white settlers in the

Kenyan highlands and to the construction of transport lines, schools,

hospitals yet no compensation was made.

 Transport: Several murram roads were constructed within Uganda and

vehicles were introduced. The Uganda railway was also constructed from

Mombasa and it reached Kampala in 1931.

Education: the education given to the Africans was based on the western

syllabi and did not provide solutions to African problems. Missionaries

were at first in charge but later on, the colonial gov’t took over.

Health: better health services were introduced and missionaries did a

commendable job. E.g. the white fathers built Nsambya hospital, the CMS

built Mengo hospital.

Introduction of a currency: this was introduced to replace the old system of

barter trade. First cowrie shells were used then Indian rupees and later

coins. These were later followed by banking.

Urbanization: trading centers, towns and big cities were all developed

especially along the railway lines. E.g. Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru,

Kampala, Tororo, Mbale and Kasese.

N.B Where the Africans gained from the colonial economic policies, it was by

accident and not design.

Effects of the British colonial economic policies

Due to urbanization, the Africans were segregated against and they were in

most cases required to be in the rural areas to grow cash crops. E.g. in

Kenya, restrictions were issued through the Kipande system or national

identity cards for only the Africans.

The introduction of a currency system meant that Africans started paying

taxes in form of cash which was very new to them.

Africans became prisoners on their own land through forced cash crop

growing, forced taxation policies and restricted movements in their own

motherland.

Africans became increasingly dissatisfied with the colonialists and they

started demanding for their independence through rebellions e.g. Mau

Mau rebellion in 1952, Nandi resistance in 1895.

Literacy was wide spread through the introduction of western education but

it was not of any assistance to the local people because they only trained

as clerks, secretaries e.t.c…

People in Uganda started growing crops that they were not going to eat e.g.

cotton, coffee, tea.

With the development of many roads and the Uganda railway, many areas

were effectively exploited by the British e.g. Buganda, Busoga, Bugisu and

Kikuyu land in Kenya.

Africans lost a lot of their land to the white settlers who introduced cash

crop growing e.g. in the 1900 Buganda agreement, the Baganda lost the

crown land to the British yet it was the most fertile.

Heavy taxation and land alienation forced many Africans to suffer with

poverty because they had to work very hard to pay the taxes yet they

never had land to grow their crops for sale.

Improvement in the transport sector meant that business was improved in

the protectorate because it eased the movement of raw materials and

business men.

Traditional industries like bark cloth making, greatly declined as the

Africans were forced to depend on European made items like clothes.

 Better medical services were provided with the construction of hospitals like

Nsambya and Mengo and this reduced on deaths as a result of tropical

diseases e.g. malaria, sleeping sickness.

Africans were taught new farming systems like plantation farming which

replaced the traditional system of subsistence agriculture. Dairy farming

was also introduced in the Kenya highlands.

Africans got jobs on European farms, public road works and on the Uganda

railway and this helped some to improve on their standards of living.

Many urban centers sprung up as a result of development of schools, Uganda

railway, hospitals e.g. Kampala, Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mbale, and

Tororo.

Establishment Of German Rule In Tanganyika

Just like British rule, the Germans established their rule by using several

methods which included;

Use of force; this involved direct military confrontation with societies that

tried to resist German rule e.g. the Hehe, Abushiri, Ngoni, Maji Maji were

all defeated through use of force.

Treaty signing; Karl Peters, a German trader and imperialist was

instrumental in signing of agreements e.g. he signed with chiefs of

Usagara, Uzigua and Usambara.

Use of collaborators; these were used to spread German rule in Tanganyika

e.g. Chief Marere of Sangu and Mangi Mandela of Kilimanjaro.

Intimidation and threats; these were used to scare off those who wanted to

rebel. Resistors were severely beaten, beheaded, or hanged e.g. even after
 chief Mkwawa of the Hehe had shot himself, the Germans cut off his head

and sent it to Berlin (Germany).

Use of traders and trading companies; e.g. Karl Peters and his trading

company-GEACO. These funded the German administration and

provided the initial man power.

Development of infrastructure; several transport networks were

constructed like roads and railway lines in order to conform to the

doctrine of effective occupation and to enable German consolidation of

colonial rule e.g. in 1891, a railway line was built connecting the coast

to lake Tanganyika.

Use of Christian missionaries; through their wonderful preachings, they

softened the hearts and minds of the Africans which made them ready

for colonial rule. E.g. the Berlin III missionaries.

Use of explorers; these were used in the initial stages of colonialism e.g. Jacob

Erhadt drew a sketch map of East Africa and Dr. Livingstone reported

about slave trade and all these called for European need to come to East

Africa.

Construction of military posts; these were mainly put up by Karl Peters and

they totaled to eight e.g. in Uluguru, Usagara, Uvinza and these were

later used by German administrators.

Divide and rule; this was mainly used in areas where Africans were rivaling

each other for supremacy e.g. Karl Peters used Arabs to fight Abushiri

soldiers who were fellow Arabs.

Use of gifts and Incentives; such were used in areas where collaborators

helped the Germans extend colonial rule e.g. Chiefs of Usambara, Usagara

were all given gifts to accept colonial rule.

 Use of treachery; this system was used in a way that the Germans

pretended to befriend African chiefs but later turned against them e.g.

Karl Peters signed treaties of friendship with chiefs of Uvinza, Usambara

but later the Germans replaced them with the Akidas and Jumbes.

Direct Rule In Tanganyika

This was the German system of colonial administration that was used in

Tanganyika.

Direct rule involved the Germans directly in the administration of their colony.

Under this system, the traditional chiefs lost their power and authority to the

Akidas and Jumbes, who were Africans but of Asian origin from the coast.

The system was dictatorial and ruthless and hence it led to a lot of resentment

from the Africans.

Why The Germans Applied Direct Rule

The Germans believed that it was the only system through which they could

effectively administer Tanganyika.

They also believed that it was the only way that they could effectively exploit

resources within Tanganyika.

The Germans had used force to take over many parts of Tanganyika and

therefore soldiers had to be used so that Africans wouldn’t easily revolt.

The Germans wanted to impose their superior culture over the Africans and

this would involve imposing their culture and legal system.

The Germans were also a proud people and therefore used this system to

stand high and above the Africans.

 The Germans had suffered early revolts and therefore had to bring in the

harsh Akidas and Jumbes to tame the Africans.

In many societies, there were no chiefs and where they existed they were not

faithful or powerful enough and therefore the Germans had no one to

entrust authority with.

They opted for this system because they had enough manpower to man all

departments and thus saw no need to recruit Africans in colonial

administration.

The Germans also feared the expenses of training Africans before they could

takeover administration because this could strain their budget.

The Germans were very selfish and didn’t want to share the exploited

resources with the Africans and that is why they used direct rule.

The Germans also used direct rule because of their inexperience in colonial

administration because they had just started acquiring colonies.

The Germans also feared using indirect rule that was being used by their

rivals (British) because this was going to increase rivalry and competition

among them.

How Direct Rule Worked/The Nature Of Direct Rule

At the top was the Governor who was the head of the colony, stationed at

Dar-es-salaam and in most cases a soldier

The Governor had wide powers and authority and was directly answerable

to the colonial minister in Berlin (Germany).

In 1904, there was the Governor’s council that was set up to advise the

Governor.
For efficient administration, the Germans divided Tanganyika into districts

and by 1914, they were twenty two.

Each district was under a district officer called Berzirksamtmann, with a

police force and a small army to maintain law and order.

District officers acted as judges and appointed chiefs to preside over courts

and administer punishments on their behalf. They were also the highest

court of appeal.

Districts were further divided into counties, which were further split into

sub-counties and sub-counties into villages of 20,000 to 30,000 people.

Areas that showed hostility to German rule, were put under military rule e.g.

by 1914, the two districts of Iringa and Mahenge were under military

rule because they were chaotic.

The Governor, district officers, and members of the Governor’s council were

all whites. Therefore the whites dominated the top positions and the

Africans were left to rule at the lower levels.

Below the district officers were the Swahili Arabs called Akidas and below

the Akidas were the Jumbes who were in charge of the villages.

Akidas and Jumbes were in charge of tax collection, supervision of cotton

schemes and public works. They were also supposed to appoint and

dismiss junior chiefs and presided over over local courts of law.

Many local chiefs were stripped of their powers and were replaced by Akidas

and Jumbes and in areas where no chiefs existed, the Germans just

appointed the Akidas in place.

These turned out to be very harsh and brutal to fellow Africans and in the

end, they made German administration very unpopular.

 German administration was characterized by mal-administration, cruel

methods of tax collection and forced labour on road construction

communal cotton growing.

Areas that co-operated with the Germans, they were left with their local

chiefs e.g. in Nyamwezi land but these chiefs were made Akidas and

therefore served the Governor.

In some areas, puppet chiefs were put into authority to promote German

interests e.g. in Usambara after the death of chief Samboja and in

Unyanyembe after the death of chief Isike.

In their administration, the Germans were arrogant, and isolated

themselves from the Africans which caused a lot of rebellions from the

Africans e.g. maji-maji revolt.

This system of administration attracted many German settlers who also

influenced the colonial government policy against Africans.

In some areas where the societies were organized, the Germans used some

indirect rule and left the Africans to rule e.g. among the Chagga.

German rule came to an end in 1919 when the League of Nations granted

Britain authority over Tanganyika because Germany was being punished

for causing World War 1 (1914 – 1918).

Effects of direct rule in Tanganyika

Many African chiefs were stripped of their powers and replaced by the harsh

Akidas and Jumbes.

Africans who were co-operative and loyal to the Germans were appointed

as Akidas.
Direct rule brewed wide spread rebellions as people rose up against the harsh

Akidas and Jumbes rule. E.g. Maji-maji revolt, Abushiri revolt and Hehe

rebellion.

There was a rise in African nationalism because many people started

organizing themselves into revolutionary movements to struggle for

independence.

Heavy taxation was introduced e.g. a hut tax 3 rupees and taxes were

brutally collected as the German tried to fully exploit the Africans and

maximize profits.

There was forced cash crop growing introduced by the Germans e.g. they

started forced cotton growing, which irritated the Africans.

Africans lost large chunks of land to the German settlers who introduced

plantation farming.

People including chiefs were brutalized and humiliated as they were publicly

flogged and beaten by the harsh Akidas and Jumbes.

African cultures and customs were eroded and abused by the Akidas e.g.

they always raped women when their husbands were working on cotton

farms and they would also enter mosques with dogs.

People were always in a state of suffering as there was wide spread

discontent and resentment against the Akidas and Jumbes and generally

the whole German administration.

Christianity was wide spread as traditional beliefs and Islam greatly declined

as a result of shrines being burnt and churches widely built by German

missionaries.
 There was heavy loss of lives and destruction of property as the Germans

tried to suppress the many rebellions.

Africans were forced to work for long hours on European farms and road

works where they received little or no pay at all.

Infrastructures were widely developed in Tanganyika to aid the exploitation

of resources e.g. roads and railway lines were built.

Famine broke out due to the unsettled life of the Africans and the German

neglect of growing of food crops in favour of cash crops.

African traders like the Nyamwezi were driven out of trade by the Germans

who became the main trade controllers.

Western civilization was promoted as a result of many schools that were

constructed by the Germans.

British Administration In Tanganyika

(Changes introduced by the British after 1919)

Having lost World War 1 (1914 – 1918), Germany was forced to surrender

her overseas colonies to the League of Nations.

Tanganyika became a mandated territory and the League of Nations

mandated Britain to administer Tanganyika on her behalf in 1919.

They began their administration of Tanganyika by appointing Sir Horace

Byatt as a new British Governor and he was assisted by four members of

the executive.

In his administration, Byatt retained the Akidas and Jumbes and generally

the whole German administration.

He was later accused of failing to put Tanganyika back on a serious recovery

track and he was thus replaced by a new governor, Sir Donald Cameron

in 1925.

Cameron embarked on developing Tanganyika and he started by instituting

indirect rule to close the gap between the people and government, which

had been created by the Germans.

In 1926, he established the Native Authority Ordinance and set up

legislative councils on which Africans were represented.

Africans were empowered to collect taxes, administer justice and carry out

some administrative duties e.g. they were made secretaries for the native

affairs to supervise themselves.

In 1926, Cameron established the Tanganyika Legislative Council

comprising of thirteen official and seven unofficial members, to

formulate new laws governing Tanganyika.

However, Cameron frustrated Africans by not including them on the

Legislative council yet settlers were included and Africans only

participated in politics at a lower level.

This later provoked the young mission educated people to rise against the

British rule. This brought in many problems for the British who even

failed to get labour when they badly needed it.

The colonial government had to come in and regulate wages for the Africans

to be protected at work.

In order to win the support of the Africans, Cameron gave them land which

had belonged to settlers and settlers were also stopped from buying big

chunks of land to set up estates.

Cameron also encouraged Africans to grow cash crops on their own shambas

to improve their standards of living e.g. the Chagga grew Arabica coffee

on the Kilimanjaro slopes while in Bukoba, they grew Robusta coffee.

Transport was developed i.e. roads and railway lines were extended to

productive areas e.g. the Tabora – Mwanza and Dar-es-salaam –

Kigoma railway lines were built and repaired.

Cameron also introduced poll tax on top of the hut tax that had been

introduced by the Germans except that it was now collected by African

chiefs and slightly reduced rates.

Trade was developed within Tanganyika and with outside countries and

Africans fully participated. E.g. the Dar-es-salaam – Kigoma railway

line promoted trade with Belgian Congo.

Cameron also developed the mining industry e.g. in Musoma, Mwanza and

Geita, gold deposits were exploited and this increased government

revenue.

The British also developed the education sector and increased government

funding of education e.g. in 1925, a department of education was set up

and many schools were constructed.

Ex – servicemen, who had participated in World War 1, were resettled and

their problems were looked into. E.g. they were given land that previously

belonged to white settlers.

Slave trade that had persisted in Tanganyika was finally brought to an end

in 1922.

The young mission educated elites were allowed to form political parties e.g.

the Tanganyika African Association (T.A.A) formed in 1919.

Response

The imposition of colonial rule in East .Africa did not go unchallenged.

Africans responded to the loss of their independence in two ways;

Through Collaboration and Resistance.

Collaboration

This is where African societies or individuals co-operated with the colonial

powers in the establishment of colonial rule.

Societies that collaborated included Buganda, Toro and Ankole.

Individuals included Semei Kakungulu (Buganda), Laibon Lenana (Maasai),

Nabongo Mumia (Wanga), and Nuwa Mbaguta (Ankole).

Reasons for collaboration

Some societies collaborated with the Europeans in order to get military

support against their enemies e.g. Toro and Buganda collaborated with

the British to get weapons to fight Kabalega of Bunyoro.

Some individuals collaborated because they wanted to get employment from

the Europeans e.g. Semei Kakungulu, Sir Apollo Kaggwa e.t.c.

Some societies collaborated because they had been hit by natural calamities

and therefore could not stage any resistance against the Whiteman e.g.

the Chagga and Maasai had been hit and weakened by famine, small pox

and rinder pest.

Others looked at collaboration in line with civilization, modernity and

Christianity. Therefore they wanted their areas to be developed by the

Europeans e.g. Kabaka Muteesa 1 of Buganda.

Some Africans were blind folded by gifts and simple presents from

Europeans e.g. bibles, clothes and rosaries which forced them to

collaborate.

Some Africans collaborated due to the fear of the military strength of the

colonial powers i.e. the Europeans had the maxim gun yet Africans were

at a disadvantage with spears, arrows and stones.

Due to missionary influence, some societies collaborated e.g. Buganda where

many people were converted to Christianity they ended up collaborating.

Some individual collaborators e.g. Semei Kakungulu and Sir Apollo Kaggwa

were simply opportunities i.e. they were after material gains from the

Europeans e.g. land, titles like Sir.

Some societies collaborated because their rivals and Neighbours had resisted

e.g. once Bunyoro resisted, Toro and Buganda collaborated.

Some societies collaborated out of prestige e.g. Muteesa 1 of Buganda

wanted to be recognized for working with the British or the white people.

Some African societies had been terrorized by their leaders which forced a

few individuals to collaborate with the Europeans e.g. Nuwa Mbaguta of

Ankole had been terrorized in his childhood days by Ntare IV.

Some societies wanted to strengthen their diplomatic ties and relationship

with the whites e.g. Buganda and Ankole wanted to trade with the

British.

The nature of societies also led to collaboration e.g. the Baganda were known

to be friendly and hospitable hence they collaborated with the British.

The failure of resistances also led to collaboration e.g. when Mwanga was

defeated by the British, the Baganda decided to collaborate.

 The direction or route taken by European invaders also determined African

reaction e.g. in Buganda visitors who entered from the South were

warmly welcomed. Since missionaries came from Tanganyika in the

south, the Baganda collaborated with them.

Who was Semei Kakungulu

Semei Lwakilenzi Kakungulu was born in Kooki around 1870.

He grew up as a page at the Kabaka’s palace in Buganda.

With the growing influence of the missionaries at the Kabaka’s court, Kakungulu

found himself so close to the British.

He was converted to Christianity and christened Semei.

During the 1888 – 1890 religious wars, Kakungulu joined hands with

Christians to topple Kalema and the Muslims who had taken control of Mengo

– Buganda’s capital.

His political career begun to take shape in 1890, when he decided to

ally/collaborate with the British for personal gains.

Why Kakungulu Collaborated With The British

He participated in the 1888 – 1890 religious wars in Buganda on the side

of Protestants who emerged victorious and this marked the beginning of

his collaborating carrier.

The growing influence of the missionaries also forced Kakungulu to

collaborate. This was because he had been converted to Christianity and

this forced him to ally with the British.

Kakungulu was an opportunist who expected material rewards from the

British e.g. old clothes and employment, land e.t.c.

Because of his humble origin, Kakungulu wanted to earn himself fame and

recognition from the Baganda and Uganda at large.

Kakungulu was also convinced that the best way of fighting Buganda’s

enemies e.g. Bunyoro was to collaborate with the British.

Kakungulu also had serious ambition for power and leadership e.g. he at one

time crowned himself Kyabazinga of Busoga to satisfy his appetite for

power.

Kakungulu’s failure to get a post in the Buganda government also forced him

to collaborate with the British e.g. Sir Apollo Kaggwa beat him to the post

of Katikiro (Prime Minister).

Kakungulu was also interested in developing Buganda and he believed that

through collaboration with the British, Buganda would develop.

The willingness of the British to tap the administrative potential in him also

brought Kakungulu close to the British hence his collaboration.

Kakungulu also wanted to use his British connections to extend Buganda’s

influence to the neighbouring areas e.g. Busoga, Bukedi, Budaka e.t.c.

It was also part of the British indirect rule system to look for the brave

Africans to use as “tools” in the extension of colonial rule hence leading

to Kakungulu’s collaboration.

Kakungulu also collaborated out of ignorance i.e. he didn’t know the

intensions of the British.

Due to Mwanga’s harsh rule, Kakungulu was also forced to collaborate with

the British e.g. Mwanga was against the British yet Kakungulu wanted to

be their ally.
All the above reforms earned Kakungulu a lot of admiration from the British

but this was short lived.

In 1901 his headquarters at Budaka were attacked and taken over by the

British, forcing Kakungulu to withdraw to Nabumali.

Kakungulu also suffered a series of demotions e.g. was demoted from being

the Kabaka of Bukedi to county Chief at Mbale.

In 1923, Kakungulu was forced to retire on pension of three thousand

pounds and this greatly demoralized and frustrated Kakungulu.

Kakungulu later joined a religious sect called Abamalaki and opposed

anything western e.g. medicine.

In 1925, Kakungulu died a disappointed man and was buried in Mbale after

failing to realize his dream of creating an empire for himself.

Effects of Kakungulu’s resistance

He helped the British to extend colonial rule to Eastern Uganda particularly

in Busoga, Bugisu, Teso, Bukedi and Kumam.

He convinced the fellow Baganda to accept British rule as a way of securing

military help against their traditional enemies-the Banyoro.

Kakungulu built administrative posts in Eastern Uganda, which the British

later used as their bases e.g. in Mbale, Budaka, and Nabumali.

Kakungulu built several roads which eased the mobility of colonial armies

and administrators e.g. he built Mbale-Tirinyi road, Bubulo-Nabumali

road and Iganga-Budaka road.

Kakungulu united the Basoga and assumed the presidency of the Busoga

Lukiiko.
 He also trained many local rulers in the area which greatly helped in the

extension of indirect rule.

He set up medical centers wherever he established administrative posts like

Budaka dispensary in Budaka.

He planted many Mvule and mango trees in Eastern Uganda especially along

the roads.

Kakungulu introduced the Kiganda model of administration in Eastern

Uganda.

He divided these areas into counties and appointed Baganda agents and

advisors there.

Kakungulu also encouraged the growing of cash crops e.g. he introduced

cotton growing in Busoga and coffee in Mbale.

He encouraged the extension of the Uganda railway to Eastern Uganda to

collect cotton and coffee and by 1930, it had reached Tororo.

Kakungulu helped the British in the capture of Kabaka Mwanga and

Omukama Kabalega in Lango on 4th April 1899. These two had given

the British a lot of hard time because of resistances.

Sir Apollo Kaggwa

He was a Muganda from the grasshopper (Nsenene) clan born around 1869.

He trained as a page and served at Kabaka Muteesa I and Mwanga II’s courts.

Due to missionary influence. He converted to Protestantism and was

christened Apollo.
He started preaching Christianity and converted many people to

Christianity.

He was also very much influential in the construction of Namirembe

cathedral.

When Mwanga ascended to power, Kaggwa’s religious involvements landed

him into trouble and he narrowly survived the Christian killings of the

martyrs in 1886.

He became influential at the Kabaka’s court and he rose to the post of

Katikiro (Prime Minister).

He was rewarded with over thirty square miles of land for his excellent work

as Katikiro.

During the religious wars, he worked closely with Captain Fredrick Lugard

who armed the Protestants against Catholics.

He also played a key role in the signing of the Portal – Mwanga agreement

of 1893 which led to the declaration of a British protectorate over

Uganda in 1894.

He helped the British extend their influence in Uganda e.g. he supported

British campaigns against Bunyoro.

In 1898, he led a Ganda force against Sudanese mutineers from the north

and he brought the situation to normal.

He was one of the key players in the overthrow and deportation of Mwanga

and Kabalega to Seychelles Island in 1899.

He also helped the British to proclaim the young Daudi Chwa II as the new

Kabaka of Buganda.
 Kaggwa became a regent to the new Kabaka and was involved in the signing

of the 1900 Buganda agreement.

The agreement caused him problems because the ‘Bataka’ accused him of

selling Buganda’s land to the British.

He introduced judicial and financial reforms in Buganda and upheld the

rights of the ‘Lukiiko’.

He campaigned for education and enrolled many boys and girls into mission

schools.

Kaggwa also asked the colonial government to grant many scholarships to

many promising sons of Buganda to go and study abroad.

He encouraged cotton growing, mulching of bananas and application of

fertilizers.

In 1902, he visited England to attend the coronation of Sir Edward VII and

was Knighted ‘SIR’ as a reward for his good work for the British.

He advocated for the spraying against tsetse flies around the shores of Lake

Victoria and Sir Hesketh Bell did exactly that.

Kaggwa later lost his influence at the Kabaka’s court because Daudi Chwa

had grown up and he also lost his popularity from the chiefs.

He conflicted with the British due to his desire to protect African traditional

institutions in Buganda.

By this time, he had outlived his usefulness to the British and his own people.

He angrily resigned in 1926 and died on 21st February 1927.

Nuwa Mbaguta of Ankole

Nuwa Mbaguta was born in 1867.

He lost all his parents as a tender age and was therefore left in the hands of

his relatives.

He later ran away from his relatives to go and live at Omugabe Ntare IV’s

court.

As he grew up, he was taken to work as a page at the king’s court at

Mularagira.

He didn’t enjoy his stay there and soon ran back to Ntare’s palace.

As a young man, he had the courage of entering the Omugabe’s bedroom

and he got praises for this courage.

Mbaguta became a fearless wrestler and was nicknamed ‘Kitinwa’ meaning

the ‘feared one’.

This soon earned him a lot of admiration from Omugabe and he became his

favourite page.

He was made to join the trusted army unit of the Omugabe which helped

him rise to prominence.

When the British showed up in Ankole, he became crusader of their

propaganda and this further elevated him above other pages.

In 1894, he signed a treaty of friendship and protection with the British on

behalf of the Ntare IV.

This made him a public figure in Ankole.

He led the campaign to construct the road used by Sir Harry Johnston to

move from Ankole to Toro.

 In 1900, he was made the Nganzi (Prime Minister) of Ankole by the British

commissioner Sir Harry Johnston.

In 1901, he signed another treaty with the British who pledged to support

Ankole against Bunyoro.

Ankole was allowed to maintain self government and was even rewarded

with additional territories like Buhweju, Mpororo, Igara and Buziba.

He encouraged education by building several schools in Ankole.

He also built several churches which helped in the spread of Christianity.

Mbaguta also encouraged the growing of cash crops like cotton and coffee.

Due to his contribution to British rule, he was rewarded with an MBE

(Member of the British Empire) honor.

He retired in 1938 having done a lot for the British and his people.

He died in 1944.

Resistance To Colonial Rule

This is basically where African societies or individuals refused to co-operate

with the whites in the imposition of colonial rule.

Individual resistors included Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda, Omukama

Kabalega of Bunyoro, and Laibon Sendeyo of the Maasai e.t.c.

Large scale resistances included Maji- Maji rebellion in southern Tanganyika,

Abushiri revolt along the coast in Tanganyika, Nandi resistance in Kenya,

Mau- Mau in Kenya, and Lamogi revolt in northern Uganda.

Reasons For Resistance

African societies wanted to preserve their independence e.g. Bunyoro, Nandi,

Hehe.

The imposition of colonial rule had interrupted territorial expansion of some

societies e.g. Kabalega of Bunyoro crushed with the British because they

wanted to check on his ambition of expanding his Kingdom to Toro,

Bunyoro, and Ankole e.t.c

Colonial economic policies such as forced labor, compulsory growing of cash

crops e.g. Maji Maji rebellion was as a result of forced cotton growing by

the Germans.

Some societies resisted because colonial rule interfered with their economic

interests e.g. Arabs and Swahili traders resisted the abolition of Slave

trade leading to the Abushiri rebellion.

Presence of able leaders also led to rebellion e.g. Kabalega of Bunyoro, Chief

Mkwawa of the Hehe, Prophet Kinjikitile who led Maji Maji, Mau Mau

led by General China.

Land alienation also led to resistances i.e. Europeans forcefully grabbed

African land to introduce the growing of cash crops e.g. Mau Mau in

Kenya was as a result of the Kikuyu losing their fertile Kenyan highlands.

Heavy taxation also led the rebellions with in East Africa e.g. the British

introduced hut and gun tax which left Africans in poverty.

The method used to acquire lands also determined the mode of reaction e.g.

the British used force in Bunyoro and Lango hence leading to rebellions.

Religious propaganda and superstition also led to rebellions e.g. Maji- Maji

fighters were miss-led by prophet Kinjikitile while the Nandi were

encouraged by Kimnyole’s Prophecies.

 Other resisted because their neighbours who in most cases were their

enemies, had collaborated with whites e.g. Bunyoro could not cooperate

with the British because the Baganda had done so.

Other resisted because they were sure of their military strength e.g.

Kabalega and Mau- Mau militants believed that they were too strong for

the Europeans.

Some societies resisted cultural and religious imperialism of the colonialists

e.g. Arabs and Swahili traders wanted to defend Islam leading to the

Abushiri rebellion.

Segregation and harsh rules by the Europeans also led to rebellions e.g. in

Kenya, all Africans who were to move to urban centers were supposed to

carry passes called Kipande (identity card).

Some societies resisted as a result of European interference with their

Political affairs e.g. Germans had replaced local chiefs with the Akidas

and Jumbes leading to Maji Maji revolts.

N.B: Most of resistances in East Africa where suppressed by the Europeans

because of the following reasons:

False propaganda and superstition didn’t work in favors of Africans e.g.

Kinjikitile’s magic water didn’t provide immunity to German bullets.

Africans where poorly organized e.g. they didn’t make enough preparation

before war and didn’t have military training.

Disunity among the various tribes also weakened the Africans e.g. the

Chagga and Nyamwezi didn’t join the Hehe rebellion.

Some African fighters lacked persistence i.e. they would pull out living fellow

Africans to suffer the might of the European forces.

 Superiority of European forces i.e. Africans depended on traditional

weapons like spears, stones and outdated guns compared to Europeans

who had modern guns like the Maxim gun.

Some societies had been hit by natural calamities e.g. drought, famine,

diseases e.t.c and this weakened their armies.

Poor military tactics, African always fought in big groups while Europeans

fought in troops which made it easy for the Europeans to defeat the

Africans.

Influence of collaborators: African resistance was weakened by collaborators

e.g. Kakungulu who worked for British helped in the capture of Kabalega

and Mwanga.

The death of able leaders also left a power vacuum like chief Mkwawa of the

Hehe was surrounded by German troops and he committed suicide by

shooting himself while Chief Orkoiyot Koitale of the Nandi was also

murdered in cold blood and this left their people without leadership.

Kabaka Mwanga

He was Muganda Prince born around 1866 to Kabaka Muteesa I of Buganda.

Upon the death of his father, he came to power at a tender age of 18 on

24th October 1884.

His early years in power were faced with many problems e.g. growing

influence of European power, many religious groups in Buganda and

Kabalega’s desire to revive Bunyoro’s glory.

Unlike his father, Mwanga could not manage all these problems at his tender

age.
He was erratic, inexperienced and could not handle all the pressure.

Arabs warned him of the problems he was to face if he worked with the

whites.

The rate of conversion to Christianity in Buganda worried Mwanga so much

that he decided to deal with it decisively.

In January 1885, he executed three CMS missionaries which marked the

beginning of his campaign against Christianity.

In November of 1885, he ordered the execution of Bishop Hannington in

Busoga.

On 3rd June 1886, he went ahead to execute thirty Christian converts at

Namugongo for failing to denounce Christianity.

In 1888, he made plans to capture all Christians and Muslims in Buganda

and take them to an Island on Lake Victoria and starve them to death.

The plan was unearthed by the Christians and Muslims who started plotting

Kabaka Mwanga.

In October 1888, a combined force of Christians and Muslims overthrew

Mwanga.

He was replaced by his brother Kiwewa.

The Muslims convinced Kiwewa to accept circumcision and convert to Islam

but he refused on grounds that a Kabaka is not supposed to shed blood

in the Ganda tradition.

The Muslims overthrew Kiwewa after a few months for refusing to convert

to Islam.
His younger brother Kalema was then handed the power and he embraced

Islam and was given the name Rashid.

Christians were not pleased with this development and they were forced to

ally with the deposed Mwanga.

In October 1889, a combined force of Christians brought back Mwanga to

power and Kalema and his Muslim supporters fled to Bunyoro.

On 30th April 1890, Mwanga signed an agreement with Fredrick Jackson

which placed Buganda under the protection of IBEACO.

Mwanga embraced Christianity and was christened Daniel and even

appointed Catholics in his government.

These developments did not end his problems as conflicts and quarrels

continued between the missionary groups leading to the famous

W’ngereza – W’faransa wars.

During the conflicts, Captain Fredrick Lugard of IBEACO armed the

Protestants with 500 guns to fight the Catholics.

The British accused the Catholics of supporting Mwanga against their rule.

Mwanga was defeated with his Catholic allies and he took refuge in Buddu

(Masaka).

In 1893, he was recalled to sign a treaty with General Gerald Portal to end

the mess in Buganda by equally dividing all posts among the Catholics

and Protestants.

In 1897, Mwanga got the support of disgruntled chiefs and he tried to resist

the new British changes e.g. Kabaka’s loss of power and stopping

collection of tribute from Busoga.

 Unfortunately, the revolt was crushed and Mwanga fled to Tanganyika

where he surrendered to the Germans.

The British deposed Mwanga and proclaimed his one year old son – Daudi

Chwa II as the Kabaka with three ministers as his regents.

In 1898, Mwanga escaped from the Germans and he joined his ex-enemy

Kabalega in Lango to continue with the resistance against the British.

With the help of Semei Kakungulu, Mwanga and Kabalega were captured on

9th April 1899 at Kangai near Lake Kyoga.

This completely marked the end of his rebellion against British rule.

Mwanga and Kabalega were exiled to Seychelles Island on the Indian Ocean.

Mwanga died in exile on 8th May 1903 and he is remembered for trying to

safeguard Buganda’s independence.

Omukama Kabalega

He was born in 1850 to Omukama Kamurasi.

He spent his early years in Bulega where his father had been exiled by a

rebellion.

From Bulega, he got the name Kabalega meaning ‘someone from Bulega’.

In 1869, he was involved in a power struggle with his brother Kabigumire

over who should succeed their father.

In 1870, he came to power after defeating his brother by using the support

of commoners, Langi mercenaries and his father’s bodyguards.

His problems didn’t end with the defeat of his brother and therefore his early

years in power were full of trouble.

These ranged from internal rivalry, Buganda’s threats, increased European

interests in Bunyoro and the need to revive Bunyoro’s lost glory.

He also built a strong army of the Abarusula with two regiments of 1800

men each and armed with guns got from coastal Arabs and

Khartoumers.

He expanded Bunyoro’s boundaries to areas such as Toro, Acholi, Busoga,

Buganda and Lango.

Kabalega’s imperialism soon landed him into clashes with the British who

were also extending colonial rule in Uganda.

In June 1872, he resisted British intrusion when he fought Sir Samuel Baker

and his Egyptian allies at the battle of Isansa at the Masindi border.

Sir Samuel Baker and his Egyptian allies were utterly defeated and this

dismayed the British.

Due to that success, Kabalega then attacked Buganda in the East which

made him face Captain Fredrick Lugard and his Ganda allies.

At this time, he realized that his wars against the British were bound to

cause him more problems and so he opted for peace.

He hoped that Sir Samuel Baker would give him military support against

Buganda.

Sir Samuel Baker told him that he would only offer his support if Kabalega

accepted Egyptian protection which Kabalega refused.

He even refused to sign the treaty of protection with Sir Samuel Baker.

In 1893, he attacked Kasagama of Toro, drove him out of his capital and

forced him to seek refuge in Buddu (Masaka).

Kasagama met Lugard on his way who gave him support and he managed

to defeat Kabalega’s forces and Kasagama was restored back to power.

A number of forts were built along the Toro – Bunyoro border to protect

Kasagama against attacks from Kabalega.

Later, Kabalega attacked these forts and deposed Kasagama again.

In 1894, Lugard led a force of Europeans, Sudanese and Ganda mercenaries

and they attacked and defeated Kabalega.

Kabalega abandoned his capital at Mparo and retreated to Budongo forest.

The British under Colonel Colville occupied Bunyoro and installed his

son-Kitahimbwa as the new Omukama.

In Budongo forest, Kabalega continued with his resistance using the guerilla

tactics of hit and run.

In 1895, he successfully defeated the British and Ganda forces in Masindi.

It was Semei Kakungulu who defeated him in Budongo forest and he fled to

Lango in northern Uganda.

In Lango, he was joined by Mwanga who was also running away from British

imperialism in Buganda.

The two continued with their resistance by using the guerilla war tactic

against British rule.

However, in Lango, the two were betrayed by local chiefs who reported

them to Semei Kakungulu.

They were captured on 9th April 1899 at Kangai in a swamp near Lake

Kyoga.
 Kakungulu brought them to Kampala and handed them officially to the

British who deported them to Seychelles Island in the Indian Ocean.

Even in exile, the Banyoro continued looking at Kabalega as their hero and

pressed for his return.

While in exile, he converted to Christianity and was baptized Yohana.

Later on, he was allowed to return as a commoner but he didn’t reach

Bunyoro.

He died at Mpumudde near Jinja on 7th April 1923 at the age of 75.

He was buried at Mparo in present day Hoima district and he was

remembered as an African hero who staged a serious resistance to the

British occupation of his area.

Chief Awich of Payera

Awich was a Rwoth (chief) of Payera in Acholi district.

He came to power in the 1880’s after the death of his father, Rwoth Camo.

By the time he came to power, the British were busy extending their rule in

Northern Uganda.

He constantly attacked and raided his neighbours e.g. the Paibona.

These acts greatly annoyed the Major Radcliffe Delme who was the British

Commissioner at Nimule.

The commissioner pleaded to Awich to stop his activities but he refused and

even escaped arrest from the British.

Awich even refused to sign a treaty with Colonel Mac-Donald as other Acholi

chiefs had done in 1892.

British hatred for him increased when he gave asylum to Kabalega and his

fugitives who were terrorizing the colony from Lango.

He defied British pleas for him to chase away Kabalega and his fugitive

soldiers.

In 1898, a British force under Major Herman set out to capture chief Awich

and in 1901, he was captured and taken to Nimule.

He was imprisoned and while in prison, his people continued to revolt and

demanded for his return.

In March 1902, the British reinstated him as the ruler in Payera after

failing to establish administration in his absence.

In 1903, Colonel Mac-Donald tried to persuade him to accept British rule

but he refused.

Awich was then involved in inter-clan wars on the side of the Joka clan of

Purnanga against the Langi and Ogoora clan.

In January 1912, he was accused of amassing guns from the Arabs and the

British began to register them.

Awich organized the Acholi to resist the policy of arms registration and this

resulted into the Lamogi rebellion.

He was thus arrested and taken to court at Nimule to face charges.

During the court session, he lost his temper and boxed a British prosecutor

called Sullivan who was cross examining him.

He was fined two cows, a goat and ivory and he was imprisoned at Kololo

in Kampala for contempt of court.

 As he served his prison sentence, his chiefdom was divided into two.

By the time he returned in 1919 from prison, he was no longer a ruler and

his chiefdom was no more.

He however invited Christian missionaries to his area to teach his people

Christianity and book learning.

He died in the 1920’s having done a lot to protect his area against British

rule.

Abushiri Uprising

This was the earliest resistance against German rule in Tanganyika.

It took place on the Tanzania coast between 1888 – 1890.

It was basically a revolt of the coastal slave traders and it included some

Africans and Swahili traders.

The Abushiri uprisings were divided into two.

The one in the northern coastal area around Pangani was led by Abushiri.

The one in the south near Dar-es-salaam and Kilwa was led by Bwana Heri.

Causes Of The Abushiri Uprising

The rebellion was intended to keep the coast independent and free from

German domination.

The coastal traders and Swahili were protecting their economic power i.e.

the German East Africa Company had abolished slave trade which was

the major trade item of the Arabs.

The coastal people were also angered by the Germans who had taken over

the collecting of mainland import duties or taxes.

The coastal people were also protesting against the loss of their property e.g.

GEACO had started confiscating Arab houses to be used as bases for

German administration.

The GEACO had started issuing economic restrictions on ownership of land

and property which the Arab traders challenged.

The Germans did not respect the cultures and traditions of the coastal

people mainly because the Germans were Christians and Arabs were

Moslems.

The Coastal people were also angered by German attempts to alienate their

land. E.g. in 1888 they came up with a new land regulation which

required people to have proof of land ownership.

The Germans demanded heavy taxes from the traders and local people e.g.

poll tax, hut tax and inheritance tax on top of brutally collecting the

taxes.

The Germans had recruited the Akidas and Jumbes in their administration

who were mistreating the Arab traders yet they were related to the

coastal Arabs.

Presence of able leadership by Abushiri in Pangani, Bwana Heri in Uzigua

and Matoro in Lindi also led to the outbreak of the revolts.

The local rulers were being humiliated and harassed by the Germans who

flogged them in public and embarrassed them before their subjects.

The Germans forced the Africans to grow cash crops under severe conditions

which angered the coastal people.

 The rise of nationalistic feelings also led to the outbreak of revolts. There was

a desire to regain their independence that had been eroded.

The Arabs had participated in the Indian Ocean trade for so long and had

gathered weapons e.g. guns which forced them to engage the Germans in

war.

The Germans disrespected the coastal Arabs e.g. they drank and slept with

peoples’ wives and even entered Mosques with their dogs which annoyed

the Moslems.

Course Of Abushiri Rebellion

Course Of Abushiri Rebellion. It started on 18th August 1888 in Pangani

where GEACO had established an administrative post.

It was led by Abushiri Ibn Salim al Harthi, a prominent Arab trader and

sugar cane planter in Pangani.

It started when Abushiri refused to raise / hoist the German flag and even

refused to listen to the German instructions and his people started

rioting against the Germans.

The rebellion abruptly and spontaneously spread to other areas e.g. Tanga,

Kilwa, Mikindini and Kilwa.

Some Bantu communities’ e.g. the Bonda and Zinguwa also joined the

rebellion.

Bwana Heri, a Swahili chief in Uzigua and other coastal Arabs joined the

revolt.

The Germans were caught unaware and suffered heavy losses.

GEACO officials were beaten and driven out of all coastal towns except

Dar-es-Salaam.

The Abushiri rebels surrounded them and captured them.

The Germans called for assistance from home and by May 1889,

reinforcement had arrived under Major Von Wissman.

He commanded a large army of 600 Nubian, Sudanese, 50 Somalis, 350

Zulus and 20 Turkish troops.

Within 2 months, Wissman had captured Pangani and Dar-es-Salaam.

Many Arabs who had supported Abushiri opted to make peace with the

Germans.

Smelling defeat, Abushiri retreated into the interior and hired 500 Maviti

fighters (Ngoni warriors).

They used the Ngoni tactics of warfare but did not save the situation because

they were only interested in looting.

He later adopted the guerilla war tactic of hit and run.

By 15th Dec 1889 most of his followers had deserted him.

He was later betrayed by a Jumbe called Magaya of Usagara.

He was captured and killed at Bagamoyo.

By 1890, Von Wissman had moved to the south and captured all coastal

towns e.g. Kilwa, and Lindi.

In April 1890, Bwana Heri also submitted to the Germans and this marked

the end of the rebellion.

Problems faced by abushiri during the resistanceagainst the germans.

He had never been a military man and so were many of his followers who

lacked military training.

It was poorly organized since the fighters lacked serious military strategies

and thorough preparation.

Abushiri’s weapons were inferior e.g. old fashioned guns, bows, arrows and

short stabbing spears which couldn’t match the guns of the Germans.

The Germans had recruited a large force reinforced by Nubians, Sudanese,

Somalis and Zulu and Turkish troops.

The 500 Maviti mercenaries recruited by Abushiri lacked interest in war

and instead of fighting they were just looting from the Germans.

Some coastal tribes easily gave in to the Germans e.g. Magaya of Usagara

even gave the Germans information about Abushiri.

The rebellion wasn’t well coordinated and lacked a united command e.g.

Abushiri led forces in Pangani, Bwana Heri in Uzigua and Matoro in

Kilwa.

The revolt lacked a national outlook i.e. the indigenous people (blacks) did

not join the revolt because it was entirely an Arab revolt.

Abushiri employed poor methods of fighting e.g. they used open warfare

which put him and his troops at a disadvantage.

The Germans also used cruel methods to suppress the rebellion e.g. the

scorched earth policy, hanging the captured rioters and shooting at first

sight which greatly scared the rebels.

 Abushiri was forced into the interior where he lacked an Arab following. E.g.

he was cut off from the supply of guns and ammunition while in the

interior.

The Germans were determined to crush the rebellion because they wanted

to colonize Tanganyika.

The landscape of the coast lacked defensive barriers so the Abushiri rebels

could be spotted from far.

Famine also weakened the Abushiri rebels e.g. many of the Bwana Heri

fighters surrendered due to starvation.

Effects Of The Rebellion.

There was heavy loss of lives like Abushiri was killed during the rebellion.

There was heavy destruction of property e.g. buildings were demolished.

Abushiri was defeated which marked the end of his independence and that

of the coastal Arabs.

There was deliberate spread of cattle diseases like rinder pest, by the

Germans.

The Germans used the scorched earth policy which led to outbreak of famine.

The Germans were forced to change their government e.g. they brought in

traditional rulers to replace the Akidas and Jumbes at the coast.

The Germans also realized the weaknesses of GEACO hence the colonial

government took over immediately.

Abushiri’s defeat opened up East Africa for colonization e.g. many European

settlers started coming to Tanganyika.

 After the defeat of Abushiri, peace returned to the coastal towns after a long

time of political turmoil (upheaval / chaos)

The rebellion taught the people of northern Tanganyika not to bother

resisting the Germans again.

The Germans were forced to work with the Arabs and Africans at the coast

e.g. they trained a lot of personnel to help in the administration of the

area.

Coastal towns like Kilwa, Malindi, Zanzibar and interior tribes of

Tanganyika were forced to recognize German ownership over

Tanganyika.

The rebellion also spread waves of nationalism with in Tanganyika e.g. Maji

Maji revolt and Hehe revolts in Southern Tanganyika were as a result of

Abushiri’s fight against the Germans.

Chief Mkwawa’s Resistance

Chief Mkwawa’s Resistance. The Hehe rebellion was the first major uprising that

took place on mainland Tanganyika against German rule.

The rebellion took place in southern Tanganyika.

It was spearheaded by chief Mkwawa who had come to power in 1878.

The major cause of the war was chief Mkwawa’s refusal to give up on trading

activities as he had been instructed by the German colonialists.

Causes Of The Rebellion

Chief Mkwawa wanted to maintain the independence of his people which the

Germans had eroded i.e. he didn’t want his people to be under foreign

rule.
The Hehe under Mkwawa had built a strong army due to their participation

in trade with the Arabs through which they got guns and they thought

that they could humiliate the German forces.

Mkwawa levied a heavy Hongo tax on the caravans that passed through his

area and when the Germans requested him to stop the tax, he refused

and this led to war with the Germans.

When German traders refused to pay tax to Mkwawa, he angrily reacted by

closing the trade routes and imprisoning many traders at Usagara which

annoyed the Germans.

The Hehe also resisted because the Germans had grabbed a lot of Hehe lands

to introduce plantation farming.

The Germans were always interrupting Mkwawa’s aggressive expansionist

raids against his neighbours and this brought him to clashes with the

Germans who were also spreading their rule.

Mkwawa was also annoyed with German disrespect for him e.g. they called

him backward and uncivilized yet he was a sovereign ruler of the Hehe.

Mkwawa also claimed to be the sole controller of the central long distance

trade route (Tabora – Bagamoyo) which the Germans were also claiming

and this resulted into war.

Forced labour on European farms, public works like roads also forced

Mkwawa to mobilize his people to rebel against German rule.

Mkwawa’s diplomatic envoys (messengers) were on several occasions gunned

down by the Germans forcing him to angrily retaliate by engaging them

in warfare.
 Mkwawa also expelled the German mercenaries (Akidas and Jumbes) that

had been brought in to assist the Germans in administration. This

annoyed the Germans who resorted to war.

The Hehe were also resisting cultural imperialism of the Germans who were

encouraging Christianity, and western education and were condemning

African cultures.

The Hehe were also known to be war mongers and they took a lot of pride

in fighting and that is why they revolted against the Germans.

Mkwawa’s character also led to the outbreak of the revolt i.e. he was big

headed and unpredictable. E.g. when he imprisoned the German traders

for not paying tax, the Germans requested him to release them but he

refused and this annoyed the Germans.

The Hehe also expected support from chief Chabruma of the Ngoni and chief

Siki of Tabora and this gave them courage to fight against the Germans.

Course of the Hehe rebellion

Chief Mkwawa came to power in 1878 after succeeding his father

Munyigumba.

He built a strong army which he used to stage a prolonged resistance against

the Germans in southern Tanganyika.

From 1880, Mkwawa was busy expanding his borders of his empire.

It landed him into trouble with the Germans who were busy expanding their

rule in Tanganyika.

In his bid to control the trade, Mkwawa closed the Tabora – Bagamoyo

trade route.
He also imprisoned German and Swahili traders for refusing to pay Hongo

tax/tribute.

Mkwawa was on several occasions requested by the Germans to release the

traders he had imprisoned but he refused and this arrogance annoyed

the Germans who reacted with force.

Mkwawa’s behavior was also based on the assumption that he was to get

support from Chief Chabruma of the Ngoni and chief Siki of Tabora.

In 1891, a German force under Zewlekis confronted Mkwawa for the first

time.

However he learnt of this plot and he ambushed and humiliated the German

force at Lungala.

He killed many Germans and their commander, Zewlekis.

The Germans temporarily accepted defeat and they turned their attention

to chief Isike of the Nyamwezi, who was willing to collaborate and work

with them.

Mkwawa later realized the need for a peaceful end to the conflict.

He sent messengers with gifts to the Germans and they responded by

gunning down Mkwawa’s messengers.

Mkwawa was greatly annoyed by this act and he responded by closing the

caravan trade route from Bagamoyo to Tabora to all traders.

This forced the Germans to organize more attacks against him.

But Mkwawa was not to give up on his peaceful plans to end the conflicts.
He therefore sent another messenger to the Germans with gifts but he was

also killed.

This greatly demoralized Mkwawa who engaged the Germans in full scale

war at Kilosa.

He managed to kill 290 Germans and their allies.

In October 1892, he destroyed a long distance caravan at Kondowa which

increased his influence in the region.

Mkwawa was also able to complete the construction of his Fort at Kalenga.

In 1894, the Germans decided to deal decisively with Mkwawa and they

stormed and destroyed his capital at Kalenga killing many of his soldiers.

With a handful of his men, Mkwawa escaped to Ingonge where he

unsuccessfully attempted to ambush the Germans on their way back to

the coast.

After this, the Germans relaxed their machinery against Mkwawa thinking

that this had completely weakened him, but they were mistaken.

Mkwawa started using a guerilla war tactic (hit and run) to launch attacks

on German controlled areas.

This also forced the Germans to adopt the scorched earth policy.

The Germans destroyed water and food reservoirs, which caused wide

spread hunger and starvation.

Between 1895 – 1898, Mkwawa suffered heavy losses as his warriors were

killed.
 After sensing defeat, Mkwawa refused to be captured alive and instead shot

himself in 1898.

A few of his trusted soldiers also surrendered to the Germans.

When the Germans found his body, they cut off his head and sent it to a

museum in Berlin (Germany) and this marked the end of the Hehe

resistance against the Germans.

Reasons For Mkwawa’s Defeat.

Military superiority of the Germans compared to Mkwawa’s outdated guns.

Lack of support from neighbouring societies e.g. the Sangu chief always spied

on chief Mkwawa.

The Germans always received massive support from their home gov’t e.g.

weapons, medicine.

The Hehe had a poor economy that could not sustain the prolonged

resistance.

Lack of proper planning e.g. no battle plans were made.

The scorched earth policy used by the Germans caused a lot of famine which

weakened the Hehe.

Mkwawa lacked advisers e.g. he should have released the German traders

who had not paid Hongo tax.

German brutality also scared some of Mkwawa’s forces and they

surrendered.

The long periods of drought and diseases also weakened the Hehe.
 By the time of his death, Mkwawa was sickly and this also led to the defeat

against the Germans.

The Germans’ determination to completely discipline Mkwawa led to his

defeat.

Mkwawa made a mistake of constructing a fort at Kalenga and this made

it easy for the Germans to ambush his strongest point of defense.

Mkwawa had also neglected other areas in the Hehe region and was only

concentrating on his capital at Kalenga and this made it easy for the

Germans to defeat areas beyond the capital.

Mkwawa had been cut off from the Arab supply of arms which also

weakened his army.

Finally, the death of Mkwawa left his forces with low morale for fighting,

and many surrendered to the Germans afterwards.s

Effects Of The Hehe Rebellion

The Hehe were defeated by the Germans and they lost their independence.

Many people were killed e.g. at Kilosa, Mkwawa killed 290 Germans and

their allies.

The death of people resulted into massive depopulation in southern

Tanganyika.

The rebellion caused a lot of misery, suffering which forced some people to

migrate to safer areas.

There was destruction of property e.g. villages, food stores especially when

the Germans used the scorched earth policy.

 Famine set in because people had neglected agriculture to fight the Germans.

After the war, the Germans became more cruel and brutal to Africans which

increased suffering.

Trade was disrupted especially along the central trade route in Nyamwezi

land and Hehe land due to Mkwawa’s anti-German campaigns.

The Hehe learnt a lesson, that in future they should not bother resisting the

Germans because they were superior e.g. during Maji-Maji rebellion

(1905-1907), the Hehe didn’t participate.

The Germans also learnt a lesson that African resistances shouldn’t be taken

for granted because the Hehe rebellion proved to the Germans that

Africans could organize a war.

The rebellion spread waves of nationalism in Southern Tanganyika and this

led to other revolts in future e.g. Maji-Maji revolt (1905-1907)

Africans who assisted the Germans during the war were rewarded by the

Germans after the war e.g. the Sangu chief was promoted to the position

of an Akida.

Diseases like dysentery and sleeping sickness were also spread.

The rebellion greatly affected the economic development of southern

Tanganyika because many activities came to a standstill.

The Germans introduced new advisers and disbanded Mkwawa council of

advisers which led to the introduction of Akidas and Jumbes in the area.

Maji -Maji Rebellion (1905 – 1907).

The Maji-Maji rebellion took place in southern Tanganyika and was against the

German rule.
The rebellion included a large section of tribes in southern Tanganyika e.g.

Zaramo, Wangindo, Bena, Pogoro, Matumbi e.t.c.

The rebellion got its name from a Swahili phrase “maji-maji” which means

magic water.

This magic water was got from River Rufiji by a medicine man called Bakero

Kinjikitile Ngwale.

The rebellion stated in July 1905 and ended in 1907.

Causes of Maji Maji rebellion

The unsuccessful cotton scheme: The people of southern Tanganyika were

forced to grow cotton by the Germans in 1902 but the soils were poor

and the yields were also poor.

Africans also received very little pay for the cotton and this is what sparked

off the rebellion.

Forced labor on government farms and public works like roads also forced

Africans to rebel e.g. Africans worked for long hours and received little

or no pay at all.

Heavy taxes. The Germans imposed taxes on Africans e.g. three rupees per

cotton plot yet the taxes were accompanied with cruel methods of

collection e.g. failure to pay meant torture, flogging and imprisonment.

Loss of land/land alienation: Africans in Southern Tanganyika had lost a lot

of their lands to the German settlers forcing them to move to remote and

unfavorable land.

The desire to regain independence that had been eroded by the Germans

also led to the Maji – Maji rebellion in 1905.

 The Africans were also resisting the cultural imperialism of the Germans

who were encouraging Christianity and western education in favor of

African cultures.

The Wangindo blamed the German mercenaries i.e. Akidas and Jumbes for

raping and eloping with their wives and daughters as they were working

on the cotton farms. .Akidas and Jumbes also allowed their dogs to enter

Mosques and this greatly annoyed the Muslims.

The rebellion was also caused by the struggle to control the trade between

the coast and the interior i.e. both Germans and Africans all claimed to

control the trade.

Kinjikitile’s religious Propaganda that the magic water would give the

fighters protection against German bullets inspired the Africans to fight

and Kinjikitile provided the long awaited leadership for the revolt.

The replacement of African traditional rulers with the Akidas and Jumbes,

who were very harsh, brutal and corrupt also led to the rebellion.

Effects of earlier rebellions for example the Hehe rebellion of 1890 in

Tanganyika also inspired the Africans in Southern Tanganyika to rebel.

The Ngoni had a personal grievance against the Germans because they

wanted to revenge on the Germans for murdering their tribe mates

during the Boma massacres in 1897.

Course of the rebellion

In 1904, a traditional priest called Bakero Kinjikitile Ngwale emerged from

the Ngarambe hills near River Rufigi.

He was possessed by a spirit called Hongo which stayed in a pond near River

Rufigi.
It was from River Rufigi that the Magic water was got and mixed with millet,

sorghum and local herbs to give immunity to the German bullets.

By January 1905, a secret movement called Jujila or Nywiwila had been

formed among the Wangindo and Matumbi.

This movement worked by secretly communicating from one person to

another, encouraging people to go for Kinjikitile’s Magic water.

However Kinjikitile did not instruct people to go and start fighting and when

the Germans heard about the medicine man from Ngarambe hills, they

did not take him serious.

By 1905, people grew impatient and decided to provoke the Germans into

war by uprooting cotton farms and this was enough to engage the

Germans into war against the Africans.

From Rufiji area, within a few weeks the rebellion had quickly spread to

other cotton producing areas like Uluguru, Mahenge and Kilombero

valleys.

On 2nd August 1905, the Africans attacked the coastal town of Samanga

near Kilwa where many traders and government officials were

murdered.

The whole town was burnt down and German missionaries were murdered.

From this time, the rebellion spread to all areas through night messengers

and several societies e.g. the Mbuga, Bena, Pogoro, Zaramo later joined

the rebellion.

On the 30th August 1905, Maji – Maji fighters attacked Lukuledi and

Mahinge Valleys where the Germans were caught unprepared and it was

a success for the Africans.

 This forced the Germans to take the rebellion seriously and they adopted the

scorched earth policy while the Africans resorted to Guerilla warfare.

The Germans ordered for reinforcements and by November 1905, it had

arrived under Von Wissman and the Germans started suppressing the

rebellion systematically.

From 1906, the Germans rounded up whoever was opposed to their rule

especially the ring leaders.

Leaders were killed, captured while others surrendered and Kinjikitile didn’t

survive these killings.

Others decided to go into exile in Mozambique and when Kinjikitile was killed

the rebellion came to an end in 1907 with the Germans emerging

victorious.

Why Africans lost the war

Kinjikitile false Propaganda i.e. the magic water didn’t provide immunity

against German bullets as he had claimed.

There was no military training carried out to prepare the fighters for war.

Africans had poor organization i.e. people just joined the rebellion basing on

Kinjikitile’s Propaganda.

Africans lacked unity among the various tribes i.e. some were even fighting

amongst themselves.

Africans lacked a unified command i.e. they had more than one leader and

they always fought together as a whole community and not in troops or

battalions.
 The Germans also used the scorched earth policy which left many African

homes, food stores and gardens destroyed.

The Hehe, Chagga and Nyamwezi did not join the rebellion which reduced

the power of the Africans fighting against the Germans.

Superiority of the German forces i.e. the Germans had guns while Africans

had traditional and crude weapons e.g. Spears, bows, and arrows,

stones e.t.c.

Why Africans lost the war

The Maji Maji fighters lacked persistence i.e. some tribes pulled out leaving

fellow fighters to suffer.

The Germans received help from Germany in form of arms and troops.

Slave trade had also taken away the energetic men and left the weak

ones .who could not do much in the rebellion.

Africans had poor economies that could not sustain a prolonged war against

a rich and powerful country like Germany.

The death of African leaders also made the rebellion lose continuity and

strength e.g. Kinjikitile Ngwale.

The Germans were also determined to take over Tanganyika whether by

hook or crook.

Effects of the Maji maji rebellion.

The Maji Maji fighters were defeated and this completely led to the loss of

African independence.
Many people lost their lives i.e. over 75,000 people were killed during the

suppression of the rebellion.

As a result of the killings, there was heavy depopulation particularly in

southern Tanganyika.

There was massive destruction of property i.e. settlements. Villages and

cotton farms were burnt to the ground.

There was wide spread misery and suffering caused by the ruthless Germans.

A period of famine (Fuga Fuga) set in because people had neglected farming

and the Germans had also used the scorched earth policy to destroy

farms.

Africans lost confidence and trust in religion and traditional leaders and

medicine men and started joining foreign religions like Christianity.

Many people were crippled in the war campaigns and others forced into exile

especially to Mozambique.

The rebellion was a source of inspiration for future nationalists like Oscar

Kambona and Julius. K. Nyerere who led the fight for independence.

Africans who collaborated with the Germans were rewarded with posts in

the colonial government land.

The Germans also learnt from the rebellion and made changes in their

administration e.g. the harsh Akidas and Jumbes were sacked / fired.

The colonial government made economic reforms e.g. taxes were relaxed and

mistreatment of Africans was made punishable.

Africans were encouraged to grow cash crops on their own individual plots

rather than on a communal basis.

 In education, Africans were encouraged to go to School and scholarships

were given to promising Students in order to fight ignorance.

Economic activities like trade came to a standstill in Tanganyika and that

is why the area lagged behind for a long time in terms of economic

Nandi Resistance (1895-1906)

The Nandi put up a strong and prolonged battle against the British in 1895.

The rebellion took place in western Kenya particularly in the Uasin-Gishu

plateau.

Causes Of The Nandi Resistance

The Nandi fought the British in order to defend their independence i.e. they

didn’t want British interference in their society affairs.

The Nandi did not want to see any stranger crossing their land and in 1895,

they killed a British trader Peter West and this sparked off the war.

The religious prophecy of Orkoiyot Kimnyole also inspired the Nandi to fight

the British e.g. He warned that the Nandi land would at one time be ruled

by foreigners.

The construction of the Uganda railway also provided the Nandi with an

excuse to fight the British i.e. Prophet Orkoiyot had warned them of the

“Big iron snake” belching smoke that came from the East to quench its

thirst in the west. (Lake Victoria)

They believed that they were militarily superior because they had

successfully defeated and raided all their neighbours e.g. the Maasai.
 The Nandi also resisted because they believed in their cultural superiority

and didn’t want the British to pollute their culture e.g. they resented the

British dressing code and looked at it as the Nandi female devils.

The Nandi also had a belief that their land was the most fertile land in the

whole world and therefore didn’t want to lose it to the British

colonialists.

The Nandi also resisted because their traditional enemies and neighbours the

Maasai and Luyia had collaborated with the British.

The Nandi were a Warrior society that took pride in fighting and raiding and

therefore when the British came, they took it as a chance to show their

military might.

The Nandi resistance was also inspired by other rebellions like the Hehe and

Abushiri revolts in Tanganyika.

The Nandi also had an environment advantage i.e. the Nandi hills were

suitable for war with little space for open warfare.

The rise of Nandi nationalism towards the end of the 19th century also

inspired the Nandi to challenge the British.

The killing of the Nandi leader Orkoiyot Koitale Arap Samoei in a shameful

incident also forced the Nandi to pick up arms to fight the British.

The British were also interfering in Ivory and slave trade which were the

main source of livelihood for most of the Nandi.

Course Of The Nandi Resistance

Clashes between the British and the Nandi begun in 1895 when a British

trader Peter West was killed by the Nandi for attempting to cross their

land.

The British responded immediately by sending a force under General

Cunningham comprised of six British and several Sudanese and Swahili

mercenaries.

This force was defeated with 30 of their men killed.

In 1897, the Nandi successfully attacked the British and destroyed their

mail system.

The British organized another force under the command of Truman and

even recruited Maasai mercenaries but still they were crushed.

In 1900, when the Uganda railway reached their area, the Nandi often

raided the equipment deposits, stole telegram wires and killed the Indian

railway workers before disappearing into the hills.

At the same time, the Nandi attacked the Luo and Luyia tribes that were

under the British and raided traders passing through that area.

The British mobilized a stronger force comprising of Ganda, Maasai and

Sudanese mercenaries but still they were crushed.

This greatly worried the British who resorted to burning Villages and

confiscating Nandi cows but the Nandi didn’t give up.

After suffering several losses, the British decided to change tactics and

adopted peaceful negotiations to end the war because they wanted the

railway construction to go on.

 The Nandi were also tired of the war, negotiations begun and an agreement

was reached.

The Nandi allowed the British to build centres in Kipture, Kiptume and

Kapkolei.

The peace was short lived and the Nandi resumed their attacks on the

railway builders and looting telegram wires.

In 1902, the British organized an expedition which registered minimum

success and this time the British decided to use force and diplomacy.

In the same year, the British built a strong force of about 1500 soldiers but

its diplomacy which ended the Nandi wars.

In 1905, a British commander Colonel Meinertzhagen visited the Nandi

leader Orkoiyot Koitale Samoei Arap Kimnyole and as he came out to

greet his visitors, he was shot dead with some of his men.

To the Nandi, this was cold blooded murder of their leader and between

October and November 1905, they tried to stage Guerilla wars but they

were defeated with heavy losses.

By December 1905, the Nandi had lost the morale and spirit of fighting and

this marked the end of their resistance against the British.

The Nandi were forced into reserves in the north far away from the railway

line so that construction work would go on and their fertile lands were

given to European settlers.

Why The Nandi Resisted The British For So Long

Unlike other rebellions, the Nandi put up a prolonged resistance against the

British for over 11years.

The Nandi were involved in the L.D.T through which they were able to

acquire guns from their neighbours bthe Akamba.

The Nandi pride i.e. they were a superior race militarily and culturally which

gave them determination to fight the British for so long.

The emergence of Orkoiyot Koitale provided the necessary leadership for the

wars because this united the Nandi and gave them morale.

The Nandi never suffered from famine because their land was fertile and

could therefore support agriculture which provided enough food for their

troops.

Being a warrior society, the Nandi had a lot of experience in fighting e.g. they

had a long of history of successfully defeating their neighbours like Maasai,

Luyia and Luo.

The Nandi area had an environment advantage because it was hilly with

little space for open warfare and the British could not use their maxim

gun effectively.

The Nandi had a strong, organized and highly disciplined army which was

divided into units and companies based on clans and place of residence.

The Nandi employed the Guerilla tactic which involved ambushes (hit and

run) especially at night and this always surprised the British who were

unprepared for these fights.

The cutting of telecommunication lines by the Nandi hindered the

transportation of British troops and reinforcements.

The Nandi lacked defensive units e.g. forts and barracks which could have

been possible targets for the British forces.

 The presence of black smiths among the Nandi who constantly made iron

weapons like spears, arrows and these were used to strengthen the Nandi

army.

Why The Nandi Finally Lost The War.

The British had a lot of determination because this was delaying colonialism

and they wanted to construct the Uganda railway.

The death of Orkoiyot Koitale also led to the final defeat of the Nandi i.e. he

died in a shameful manner hence causing them to lose the morale of

fighting.

The Nandi had inferior weapons which could not compete effectively with

the superior weapons of the British who had the maxim guns.

The British always got support from neighbouring countries e.g. Uganda,

Sudan and Egypt in form of troops and ammunitions (weapons)

The British always recruited mercenaries into their army e.g. Maasai and

Sudanese mercenaries who made their army grow stronger.

The Nandi lacked support from their immediate neighbours like the Maasai

which greatly led to their defeat.

The recruited mercenaries knew about the Nandi military tactics which

information was used by the British to defeat the Nandi.

The scorched earth policy employed by the British greatly weakened the

Nandi because several farms and houses were destroyed and this left the

Nandi suffering.

Many of the Nandi troops and people were always killed by the tropical

diseases and famine which reduced on their military might.

 The Nandi neighbours who were hired as mercenaries also had the

determination to support the British and defeat the Nandi who had

terrorized them for so long.

The British tricked the Nandi into negotiations and agreements into

accepting to work with the British, also weakened the Nandi military

might.

British missionaries used the tactic of spreading Christianity which brought

about disunity amongst the Nandi.

Effects of the Nandi resistance

There was heavy loss of lives especially the Africans which led to

depopulation in the area.

There was massive destruction of property. E.g. Villages and food stores were

all set on fire and this led to famine.

The Nandi lost their land to the white settlers and the Uganda railway line

and were pushed to infertile lands in the north.

There was wide spread poverty and misery in the Nandi area due to the

serious economic destruction.

The Nandi were over powered and therefore defeated which completely

marked the end of their independence.

Some of the Nandi who lost their land to the Europeans were forced to

migrate to towns and urban centres to make ends meet.

The British were able to construct the railway line through the Nandi area

with minimum difficulty and it was extended to Kisumu and Uganda.

 The defeat of the Nandi taught their neighbours a lesson that the British

were militarily superior and many decided to collaborate e.g. Maasai. Luo

and Luyia.

The Nandi superiority and arrogance in the region was crushed mainly

because they had terrorized and bullied most of their neighbours.

Many people were converted to Christianity because the teachings of

Prophet Orkoiyot Koitale had failed to guide them into defeating the

British.

Forts and European stations were built throughout the area e.g. in Kiptume

and Kapkolei after the defeat of the Nandi.

With the defeat of the Nandi, more Europeans poured into Kenya and took

over the Kenyan highlands.

The Nandi resistance taught the British a lesson that the Africans could also

put up an organized resistance.

The rebellion spread waves of nationalism throughout Kenya and this led to

future revolts e.g. Mau-Mau rebellion in 1952.s

Mau- Mau Rebellion (1952 – 1956).

This was a clandestine (secret) nationalistic movement in Kenya.

It was formed by extremist ex-soldiers of World War II in 1946 to fight the

colonial government.

The phrase Mau-Mau is an abbreviation of a Swahili slogan “mzungu ayende

ulaya Mwafirika Apate Uhuru” loosely translated as the ‘white man

should return to Europe and the African gets independence’.

The rebellion effectively begun in 1952 and ended in 1960.

Causes of the rebellion

Loss of land to the white settlers angered the Africans especially the Kikuyu

and that’s why they joined the movement in large numbers.

Africans were pushed into reserve camps where conditions were unfavorable

for instance they were overcrowded and lacked schools and medical

centers.

Mau-Mau fighters were struggling for the independence of Kenya i.e. most

of the ex-soldiers had a negative view about colonialism.

Poor labour conditions also forced Africans to join the Mau Mau movement

i.e. Africans were denied employment as better jobs were given only to

the whites.

Restrictions imposed on the growing of cash crops also angered the Africans

i.e. it were only the whites that were allowed to grow cash crops.

The return of the World War II ex-soldiers led to the formation of the

movement. When they compared the situation in Europe with that of

Kenya, it was still backward.

Africans were also against the introduction of the Kipande (Identity cards)

because it denied Africans freedom of movement.

The Mau Mau resistance was also as a result of unfair taxation i.e. the British

introduced poll tax which was too high for the Africans.

Africans were denied a chance of trading with their neighbours, Asians and

the coastal people because the trade was dominated by Indians or Asians.
 Mau -Mau fighters also hated the European attitude towards African

traditional beliefs and cultures e.g. missionaries attacked the Kikuyu

female circumcision.

Africans were denied a chance of attaining western education and this was

a deliberate move to keep them backward.

Africans also hated racial segregation in education Institutions, residential

areas, and medical centres and in government offices hence caused

rebellions.

The emergence of able leaders also led to the formation of the movement i.e.

leadership was provided by Elites such as Jomo Kenyatta, Harry Thuku,

Bildad Kaggia, Dedan Kimathi, General China (Waruhiu Itote).

Africans were also tired of the settlers influence on Government decisions

and policies i.e. the settlers wanted to turn Kenya into a settler colony

like Rhodesia and South Africa.

The Mau Mau fighters were not pleased by the revelations of the British

government to affect constitutional changes in Kenya i.e. they wanted

greater African representation on the legislative council.

Course of the rebellion

Mau -Mau started in 1946 as an underground movement in Kenya to fight

the colonial government and bring independence as soon as possible.

It was formed by the Kenya African Union extremists (KAU) including the

ex-soldiers of World War II.

The movement was basically a tribal rebellion of the Kikuyu and when

fighting intensified, the rebellion spread to other communities such as

Kamba, Meru, and Embu e.t.c.

Mau -Mau guerillas and their supporters took oaths that bound them to

obedience, secrecy and support of the movement.

The supporters of the movement sang hymns in which the name of Jomo

was substituted for Jesus Christ.

By 1950, the Mau Mau fighters started to act violently and the British

government declared the militant group illegal and unlawful.

After being declared illegal, the guerillas retreated to Aberdare Ranges and

slopes of Mt. Kenya where they launched attacks on the colonial

government and white settler farms.

They formed gangs which could steal arms, destroy plantations and

committed arson (burning property that belonged to the settlers) e.g.

plantations, homes e.t.c.

Many chiefs who opposed the movement were hacked to death e.g. in

October 1952 chief Waruhiu Kiambu was murdered for being loyal to the

government.

On 20th of October 1952, the British governor Sir Evelyn Baring declared

a state of emergency.

Sir Evelyn Barring called in the King’s African Rifles (KAR) to suppress the

movement and by the end of the year, more soldiers had been flown in

from Britain.

In April 1953, Jomo Kenyatta and other leaders of the movement especially

the Kikuyu were tried and sentenced to 7yrs in jail.

In 1954, several Kikuyu were arrested for not giving a convincing reason for

being in Nairobi at such a time.

 In 1955, General China was arrested but Dedan Kimathi continued with the

resistance up to October 1956 when he was also captured in the

Aberdare forest.

By 1956, the movement had been weakened seriously but the hunt for Mau

-Mau fighters continued up to 1960.

Effects of the rebellion

The rebellion was so costly to the British government i.e. The British spent

over 50,000 pounds to suppress the movement.

Many African leaders and activists were arrested for opposing colonialism

e.g. Jomo Kenyatta, Dedan Kimathi, General China e.t.c.

The rebellion taught the British that Kenyans seriously wanted

independence and couldn’t settle for anything less than that.

There was massive destruction of property e.g. shops were looted and

gardens belonging to the white settlers were destroyed.

Many families and clans disintegrated as a result of the chaos during the

course of the movement.

Due to the destruction of crops, food stores and the unsettled life,

agriculture declined and famine broke out.

The rebellion led to a decline of Kenya’s economy since trade and commerce

came to a standstill.

The rebellion shattered the white settlers’ dream of turning Kenya into a

settler colony like Rhodesia.

Land that had belonged to the Africans before was reclaimed as the British

changed the land policy.

 Africans were allowed to grow cash crops and schools, hospitals; roads were

built to cool African tempers.

The rebellion led to the emergence of leaders like Jomo Kenyatta, Tom

Mboya, Daniel Arap Moi e.t.c who spear headed the independence

struggle in Kenya.

Political parties were formed and allowed to operate e.g. K.A.N.U (Kenya

African National Union) and this spear headed the campaign for self rule

or independence.

The rebellion created a period of confusion and uncertainty among the

people e.g. between 1952 – 1960, Kenya was in a state of emergency.

The British came to good terms with Africans. From this time, African

interests gained supremacy over Asian and white settler interests.

Both Africans and Europeans lost their lives during the rebellion.

Why did the Africans lose against the British in the rebellion?

Europeans were military superior compared to Africans they had better

guns while Africans used traditional weapons like spears, bows and

arrows.

Disunity among African societies also weakened their struggle against the

imposition of colonial rule and therefore they could not form a united

front against the colonialists.

The teachings of the Christian missionaries weakened African societies. They

softened the hearts and minds of Africans to the extent that some could

not see the need to fight the whites.

 Collaborators who supported colonial powers also weakened those resisting

because they used to leak information to the colonialists.

Many African societies were hit by diseases The Kikuyu, Maasai, Nandi were

for example hit by rinder pest, long periods of drought and famine that

weakened them and therefore made their fights against European rule

ineffective.

Poor military tactics. African societies lacked military strategies.

Many African chiefs were ignorant of the intentions of the Europeans. They

thought that the whites were just visitors who were here for only a short

period and as such took them to be their friends.

The Spirit of nationalism was lacking in many African societies at the time.

Many rebellions were therefore tribal or regional wars, lacking the

support of their neighbours.

The weak economies of many African societies contributed to their defeat.

Many of these couldn’t support full- scale wars.

Too much belief in superstition and traditional religion also blind folded

Africans.

The death and imprisonment of inspirational leaders also undermined

African rebellions.

The Europeans also employed the divide and rule policy whereby they played

one society against the other.

Buganda Agreement Of 1900

Buganda Agreement Of 1900. This was the agreement that was signed

between the British special commissioner Sir Harry Johnston and the young

Kabaka Daudi Chwa II.

The Kabaka was represented by three regents i.e. Sir Apollo Kaggwa, Stanslus

Mugwanya and Zakaria Kisingiri.

The agreement was signed on 10th March 1900.

At first it was called the Uganda agreement but since it only applied to Buganda,

it came to be known as Buganda agreement.

Why the agreement was signed

The agreement was intended to define the position of Buganda within a

wider Uganda i.e. that Buganda was also a province like other provinces

in Uganda.

The agreement was to confirm that Buganda had submitted to British rule

i.e. that there was to be no resistance from the Baganda.

The agreement was also intended to make Buganda safe for missionary

activities especially after the religious wars that had de-stabilized

Buganda.

The agreement was also intended to promote British exploitation policies i.e.

to prepare the ground for the effective exploitation of Uganda resources.

The agreement was signed to introduce the rule of law in a country that had

under gone a lot of political turmoil e.g the religious wars in Buganda

1880 – 1890.
 The agreement was also signed to check on the activities of Kabaka Mwanga

who still had interest especially in destabilizing the protectorate from

Northern Uganda.

The agreement was signed to end the threats of Sudanese mutineers in the

north i.e. they had become notorious demanding a lot of money from the

British who had hired them in 1897.

The agreement was also intended to find a suitable way to both the Baganda

and the British on how to assist the young Kabaka Daudi Chwa II.

The agreement was signed to make Buganda self reliant through introducing

economic reforms e.g. cash crops growing and payment of taxes.

The agreement was intended to reward the Baganda for their support and

co-operation with the British in the extension of colonial rule e.g.

Buganda was given the two lost counties that belonged to Bunyoro

(Bugangaizi and Buyaga) in Mubende.

The agreement was signed to solve the boundary problems between Uganda

and her neighbours especially Bunyoro.

The agreement was signed to make a spring board or the starting point from

where the rest of Uganda would be colonized.

The agreement was to serve as a legal document that would protect and safe

guard the British imperialist interests in Uganda.

The three regents who signed on behalf of the young Kabaka Daudi Chwa

were ignorant and only interested in material benefits e.g. land and titles

like Sir Apollo Kaggwa.

Terms/provisions of the agreement

All men of 18yrs and above were to pay a hut tax of 3 rupees which was to

be collected by local chiefs.

No more taxes were to be collected without the approval of the Lukiiko and

the consent of the Kabaka.

Revenue from the taxes was to be for the protectorate government and not

the Kabaka, like before.

The collection of tributes from neighbouring states like Busoga, Ankole, and

Toro by Buganda was to be stopped immediately.

All chiefs including the Kabaka were to receive a monthly salary like other

civil servants in the protectorate government.

All natural resources like minerals and forests were to be in the hands of the

protectorate government and it was its duty to exploit them.

Land was to be divided into two i.e. Mailo land was to be given to the Kabaka

and his subjects while crown land was to be given to the protectorate

government.

Peasants settling on this land were to pay rent (Busuulu) to the landlords

and the Kabaka was to appoint chiefs to look after his mailo land.

Crown land included forests, lakes, swamps and the people who settled on

this land were not to pay rent or Busuulu.

The Kabaka was to be retained as the supreme ruler of Buganda but with the

title of his highness.

The Kabaka was to rule under close supervision of a British representative

and he was to be assisted by three regents i.e. Katikiro (Prime Minister),

Muwanika (Treasurer) and Mulamuzi (Judge).

 The Lukiiko was to have parliamentary powers, to formulate laws and to

remain the highest court of appeal.

The Kabaka was not to dismiss any member of the Lukiiko without

consulting the British government.

Membership to the Lukiiko was to be fixed at 89 and of these 60 were

notables, 20 Ssaza chiefs, 3 regents / ministers and 6 Kabaka’s nominees.

Cases involving foreigners were not to be decided upon by the Kabaka but

handled by the protectorate government.

The Kabaka was not to form an army without the consent of the

protectorate government.

Buganda’s boundaries were to be redefined and the two lost counties of

Buyaga and Bugangaizi that previously belonged to Bunyoro were to be

added to Buganda.

Buganda was to be divided into 20 counties each under a Ssaza or county

chief.

In case of misunderstanding the terms of the agreement, the protectorate

government had the right to abrogate or cancel the agreement.

Effects of the agreement

The Kabaka’s powers were greatly reduced e.g. he lost authority over the

army and tax collection.

The agreement made Buganda part of Uganda and it placed Buganda at the

same level with other provinces in Uganda.

The Kabaka lost control over his chiefs who became public servants and were

paid by the protectorate government.

Buganda’s 20 counties were allocated on a religious basis i.e. protestants

were given 10, Catholics got 8 and Moslems 2.

The agreement re-defined the boundaries of Buganda to include the two lost

counties of Buyaga and Bugangaizi which were got from Bunyoro.

The loss of the two counties led/increased Bunyoro’s hostility to Buganda.

The Buganda agreement laid a foundation for the signing of similar

agreements with others areas e.g. Toro agreement in June 1900, Ankole

agreement 1901.

The agreement confirmed and formalized British rule over Buganda and

Uganda as a whole which meant that Buganda had lost its independence.

The agreement encouraged the growing of cash crops like tea, coffee and

cotton because people had to pay taxes.

The hut tax also forced people to crowd in one hut so as to avoid paying the

tax and this led to the spread of diseases like dysentery.

The agreement began the exploitation of Uganda’s resources like minerals

and forests as a way of raising funds for the protectorate government.

After the agreement, some Baganda decided to collaborate with the British

to extend colonial rule in Uganda e.g. Semei Kakungulu and John Miti.

The agreement also encouraged the development of roads, schools, hospitals

as a way of tapping Uganda’s economic potential.

The Kabaka lost control over the land in Buganda which increased on the

number of white settlers grabbing land in Buganda.

The agreement ended the religious wars which had destabilized Buganda

during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga.

Kabaka’s Crisis.

This was a political misunderstanding between the Governor of Uganda-Sir

Andrew Cohen and the Kabaka of Buganda-Muteesa II.

It involved a lot of tension, mistrust and suspicion between these two

gentlemen.

This tension resulted into the deportation of Muteesa II to England on 30th

November 1953.

Kabaka Muteesa II had failed to cooperate loyally with the British as the 1900

agreement demanded.

This created a non-violent but very tense and confused situation in Buganda

that is popularly known as the ‘Kabaka crisis’ of 1953.

Kabaka’s Crisis Causes / Causes of the crisis

Buganda was demanding for federalism and special status so that she would

not at the same level with other regions of Uganda which the colonial

gov’t opposed.

In 1945, three Africans were chosen to join the Legco to make

constitutional changes. Buganda, Ankole and Busoga were all supposed to

send one representative each, but Buganda refused and demanded for

more seats because she didn’t want to be at the same level with other

regions.

The Kabaka also supported the Lukiiko’s decision not to send a

representative to the Legco and this annoyed the governor who wanted

a united Uganda leading to the deportation of the Kabaka.

In 1952, a colonial gov’t expert A.C Willis researched and emphasized the

need to set up local councils in Uganda and resist federalism which didn’t

go down well with the Baganda.

The Baganda were also worried about the developments in the Legislative

council which was turning into a small national assemblyfor all races,

tribes and regions of Uganda and this threatened the power of Buganda

as a semi-independent state within a wider Uganda.

The Baganda also feared for their power because this would mean that the

colonial gov’t would win over any vote of confidence over Buganda.

The formation of Uganda National Congress (UNC) on 2nd march 1952 by

Ignatius Kangave Musaazi also led to the crisis. The party called for unity

amongst all Ugandans to demand for independence which the Baganda

saw as threat to the institution of the Kabaka.

The Baganda were also alarmed by the colonial government’s demands for

the East African federation which Buganda didn’t like because they

didn’t want to merge with other regions of East Africa.

The Kabaka also received a lot of support about this issue from his subjects,

the Lukiiko and other provinces like Busoga who also opposed the idea

and this also worsened Muteesa’s relationship with Sir Andrew Cohen.

The governor was also angered by Buganda’s demands to be transferred

from the colonial office to the foreign office which showed no confidence

in the abilities of the governor.

On 30th November 1952, the British stopped recognizing the Kabaka and

later deported him to London in 1953.

 The British wanted to fulfill the demands of the 1900 Buganda which had

stated that the institution of the Kabaka would be abolished if at all he

failed to cooperate with the British and this is what sparked off the crisis.

The Kabaka was ill advised and he showed stubbornness to the governor even

after a series of meetings were held with the governor and this led to his

deportation in 1953.

The Baganda refused to choose a successor to Muteesa II after his deportation

in 1953, contrary what the governor had thought and they only voiced

one point ‘We want our Kabaka back”

Effects of the Kabaka crisis

Following the deportation of the Kabaka in 1953, a state of emergency was

declared in Buganda.

Several Baganda elites were sent to England to plead for Muteesa’s return

e.g. Eridadi Muriira, Thomas Makumbi and Apollo Kironde.

In early 1954, a constitutional expert-Sir Keith Hancock was sent to

Uganda to see how a new constitution would be quickly made to return

sanity to Buganda.

It led to the signing of the 1955 Namirembe agreement which altered the

1900 agreement e.g. the Kabakaship became a constitutional monarch.

It was also agreed that the Buganda was to remain part of Uganda and it

was to elect members to the Legco like other regions.

The crisis affected the formation of the East African federation because this

act by the Baganda clearly showed that some sections of the people didn’t

want it.
 The crisis caused a lot of resentment from the Baganda following the

deportation of their Kabaka e.g. Baganda men allowed their beards grow

wild and they wore bark cloth as a sign of mourning.

The crisis resulted into riots in Buganda and increased demands for British

withdrawal from Buganda’s soils.

The crisis led to the violation of the 1900 Buganda agreement by both the

British and Baganda e.g. Britain stopped recognizing the Kabaka and

Buganda wanted independence outside the protectorate.

The Namirembe agreement also resolved that Muteesa was to return if the

Lukiiko had invited him and on 17th October 1955, Muteesa returned

amidst jubilation from his people.

The crisis resulted in Buganda’s boycott of the 1961 National Assembly

elections and fresh elections were organized in 1962.

The crisis led to the formation of political parties in Uganda for example

Democratic Party in 1956 and Uganda Peoples’ Congress in 1960.

The formation of political parties also forced the Buganda loyalists to form

their own political party called Kabaka Yekka (K.Y) literally meaning king

alone, to strongly support the Kabaka’s position.

The crisis speeded up the political developments in Uganda that resulted into

the attainment of independence on 9th October 1962.

Devonshire White Paper (1923).

This was a statement of government policy issued in March 1923 during a

conference in London by the colonial secretary, who was also the Duke of

Devonshire.
 From 1896, white settlers started flocking into Kenya while the Asians came

during and after the construction of the Uganda Railway.

Inevitably, between 1907 and 1923 bitter conflicts arose between the three

groups i.e. Asians, white settlers and the Africans due to their different

demands and interests.

Reasons for the declaration of the Devonshire White Paper

Asians (Indians)

The Asians wanted equal representation on the L.E.G.CO (Legislative council)

i.e. the Asians outnumbered the white settlers yet the white settlers had

more seats on the LEGCO.

Racial segregation also hurt the Asians e.g. they wanted equal treatment

with the whites in politics, health, education, business e.t.c.

The Asians also wanted unrestricted immigrations into Kenya i.e. they

wanted free entry and exit into and out of Kenya.

They also wanted to acquire land from the fertile Kenyan highlands i.e. the

white settlers had forced the Asians to stay in towns which they did not

like.

Asians had formed associations like the East African Indian National

Congress led by A.M Jeevanje which became a plat form for airing out

their grievances against the white settlers.

Africans

The Africans demanded for the withdrawal of the Kipande (Identity cards)

that made them look like prisoners in their own country.

 Africans wanted a reduction in taxes which had suffocated them yet many

of them had nowhere to get the money.

African also wanted good labour conditions e.g. many of them were forced

to work on European farms with little or no pay at all.

Africans like the Kikuyu and the Maasai wanted all the land that had been

taken away from them returned by the white settlers

Africans also wanted to regain their independence that had been eroded by

the British.

Africans also demanded for similar education opportunities which they had

been denied by the whites in order to keep them backward.

Africans also wanted representation in government because they had been

totally left out in politics.

Africans were also restricted from growing cash crops by the whites who

claimed that they were going to lower the quality of the Kenyan produce.

The Africans also formed tribal organizations e.g. the Young Kikuyu

Association and the Young Kavirondo Association which became plat

forms for airing out their views.

White settlers

The white settlers wanted to monopolize politics of Kenya e.g. by 1920, they

had more seats /majority seats on the legislative council but they were

not contented.

They believed in racial superiority and they didn’t want to share social

services with Africans and Asians e.g. health, education e.t.c

 The white settlers wanted to retain the fertile Kenyan highlands exclusively

for themselves.

The Europeans settlers also wanted the colonial government to discourage

Africans from growing cash crops so that they could only serve as

laborers on the European farms.

The white settlers wanted to colonize Kenya as a separate colony from

England i.e. they wanted Kenya to be declared Independent from

England.

The whites were also led by lord Delamare and colony Grogan who set up a

number of associations to serve as plat form for airing out their views.

Terms/provisions of the Devonshire White Paper

The Kenyan highlands were to be exclusively reserved for the white settlers

only.

The legislative council was to have eleven (11) Europeans, five (5) Asians

(Indians), 1 Arab and a missionary to represent African interests.

There were to be no more restrictions on Asian immigration or entry into

Kenya.

A missionary i.e. Dr. Arthur was to be nominated to the legislative council

to represent the interest of the Africans.

There was to be no more racial segregation or discrimination in all

residential areas.

Africans were to be members of the local councils and not in politics at a

higher level.
 Asians and African representatives on the Legislative council were not to be

on the same voters registers as the whites.

The colonial office in London was to watch over the Kenyan Affairs in order

for the interests of the Africans to be given first priority.

The paper clearly stated that Kenya was primary an African territory and

the interests of the Africans were paramount or very important.

The paper made it clear that all racial groups in Kenya were to work

together and gradually towards the achievement of self rule or

independence.

The paper also warned against the white settlers wanting to make further

advances towards self rule.

The paper was to rule out any constitutional changes in favor of the white

settlers.

The paper also stated that the white settlers would no longer have

controlling influence on the colonial government but it was the

government that was to serve their interests.

Effects of the Devonshire white paper

The Asians failed to win equality with the white e.g. they were denied the

right to occupy the Kenyan highlands and were given only five seats on

the LEGCO and they had to use a different voters register.

The white settlers lost their dream of even controlling Kenya as a separate

colony.

The paper confirmed Kenya as a settler colony which increased the number

of Europeans coming into Kenya.

 The paper also confirmed that Kenya was for Kenyans and that, their

interests were to be given first priority.

The paper also clarified that neither the whites nor the Asians would gain

monopoly in the administration of Kenya whatsoever.

The giving of the highlands to settlers stimulated plantation farming and led

to the growth of cash crop economy.

The paper failed to address the land and labour problems i.e. Africans were

to continue providing labour on settler farms.

The free immigration policy resulted in many Indians pouring into Kenya

and they became a major force in Kenya’s economy.

The paper also laid the foundation for the future independence struggles of

Kenya e.g. armed groups like Mau- Mau were formed by the Africans.

The paper exposed the intentions of the white settlers in Kenya who were

after taking over the country.

The paper created unity among Africans and Asians because it affected

them equally.

Africans started sharing in the running of their country. E.g. the native

councils and in 1931 they were allowed to send representatives to the

Legco.

The colonial government started training and educating Africans, a measure

that was intended to prepare them for the future responsibilities and

independence.

The White Settlers In Kenya.

The Europeans begun to settle in Kenya in 1896 and large number came in

1903.

They mainly came from New Zealand, Britain, South Africa, Australia and

Canada.

Their aim was to set up plantation farms.

Reasons For Their Coming

The climatic conditions especially in Kenyan highlands were good, cool, and

conducive for European settlement.

Very few Africans had settled in the high lands and this is perhaps why

settlers settled in such areas in large numbers.

The Devonshire white paper of 1923 that gave the Kenya highlands

exclusively to the whites also encouraged them to come to Kenya in large

numbers.

Kenya had strategic advantage i.e. it had direct access to the Indian Ocean

waters and a well developed transport network.

The construction of the Uganda railway line reduced transport costs and

provided them with a reason to come and exploit resources in Kenya.

The nomadic way of life of the some of the Kenyan tribes like the Nandi,

Maasai and Kikuyu also made it easy for the settlers to obtain land.

The colonial policy was clear that Kenya should be a settler colony which

officially encouraged settlers to come in large numbers.

Many of the governors in Kenya were too lenient and sympathetic to settler

demands e.g. Sir Charles Elliot (1902-1904), Sir Donald Stewart

(1904 – 1905).
 During the Anglo-Boer wars (1899 – 1902) in south Africa, a number of

African farms were destroyed which forced many settlers to rush to East

Africa expecting to find the same prospects.

The earlier reports made by the explorers also encouraged the settlers to

come e.g. they reported about the fertile soils and reliable rainfall in

Kenyan high lands.

After World War 1 in 1919, there was a need to resettle ex soldiers and

therefore many of them ended up in Kenya as settlers.

The desire to stop inhuman acts of slave trade and introduce legitimate

trade also encouraged many whites to come to Kenya.

Many Africans were poor and were willing to work on settler farms and

therefore the white settlers came to Kenya to exploit the idle and

unskilled African labour force.

Charismatic leaders like Lord Delamare also encouraged settler farming

because he was a successful farmer and encouraged many settlers to

grow cash crops.

Problems faced by White settlers in Kenya

Settler farming faced strong opposition from Africans e.g. the Maasai and

Nandi constantly raided the white settler farms.

The world economic depression after World War 1 greatly affected the

white settlers as their crops lost market because of the low prices.

Diseases also frustrated the settlers e.g. the cows were attacked by East coast

fever and tick borne disease while wheat was attacked by leaf rust.
 The white settlers lacked funds to carry out large scale farming e.g. some

were too poor to buy land or even pay workers.

Some crops like tea and rubber required large estates which the settlers

could not get easily.

In some areas the soils were infertile due to mineral deficiency which also led

to low output.

The colonial government paid less attention to the problems of the settlers

because it was only interested in reducing costs of administration.

A lot of time was wasted by the white settlers on the experimental growing

of some crops e.g. rubber.

There was competition from imported products e.g. wheat was imported on

a large scale.

Labour was not enough mainly because Africans were not willing to work on

European farms.

Poor transport also affected settler farming in Kenya e.g. many parts were

not connected to the railway line.

Most of the Kenyan land was barren and unproductive e.g. in Maasai land.

There was theft of settler food by the Pastoral tribes like Nandi, Maasai and

Turkana.

Tropical diseases that affected the settlers like Malaria, Sleeping sickness

e.t.c.

Effects/role of white settlers in Kenya’s economic development

The white settlers introduced plantation agriculture i.e. Cash crop, economy

in Kenya like Pyrethrum, rubber, wheat.

Settler farming stimulated the development of communication net works

e.g. roads were built and Uganda railway line extended to areas like

Kitale.

The growing of cash crops also led to the development of modern and

scientific methods of farming e.g. use of fertilizers and setting up large

fenced farms.

Because of increased business activities, modern towns and trading centers

like Nairobi developed.

The introduction of plantation agriculture enabled the Kenyans to shift from

substance farming to large scale farming which brought in more money.

With increased agriculture, small scale industrialization took place e.g. 1906;

UNGA Limited established a grain mill in Nairobi.

The settlers introduced the rearing of exotic animals in Kenya e.g. exotic

sheep, cattle and pigs were imported from New Zealand and Britain.

A lot of land that was previously idle was put to good use by the settlers who

established large farms for cash crops and rearing of animals.

The establishment of the plantation farms created more employment

opportunities for the Africans who improved on their standards of living.

The growing of cash crops disrupted the traditional African patterns of

farming i.e. African started growing crops they were not going to eat.

Because plantation farming was in the hands of the white settlers, the

economy of Kenya was therefore put in the hands of the whites.

 Africans lost much of their lands particularly the Kikuyu, Kamba, and

Maasai.

The white settlers dominated the politics of Kenya which caused political

problems and this resulted into the 1923 Devonshire white paper

declaration.

The movement of Africans with in Kenya was restricted by the colonial

government which led to the introduction of identity cards (Kipande).

African loss of land and segregation tendencies of the whites led to the

formation of nationalistic movements like Mau Mau.

Economic and social developments in Kenya between 1900-1945.

Cash crop development was linked much to the white settlers who occupied

the Kenya highlands.

The first crops to be grown were maize for cash and potatoes for food.

Lord Delamere experimented wheat farming in the Uasin-Gishu plateau

where he produced the first wheat crop successfully in 1907.

In 1904, tea was introduced at Limuru and sisal was planted at Thika.

By 1920, sisal had become the second most important plantation crop.

P was also grown on plantations near the coast.

Tomatoes and cape good berries were also grown.

Africans grew crops which they were familiar with e.g. simsim and

groundnuts.

In 1904, the policy of reserves was began where Africans had to supply

labour and were not to grow cash crops.

In 1908, Coffee Planters’ Association was formed where coffee trees were

got from missionaries.

Lord Delamere later introduced coffee growing near Thika.

By 1920, large tea estates were established around Nakuru.

In 1925, two companies from India were set up on the large tea plantations

at Kericho.

Between 1920 to 1921, the government encouraged maize growing.

In 1935, pyrethrum was grown in the Kenyan highlands.

Vegetables and fruits were also introduced in the Mau hills.

Communication included railway lines, roads, telegraphs and waterways.

Kenya-Uganda railway began in 1896 at Mombasa and extended to several

parts of Kenya.

In 1921, the railway line extended from Nakuru to Eldoret and Kitale then

to Uganda.

Within Kenya, the railway lines extended to Nyeri, Nanyuki, Thompson falls

and Magadi.

Feeder roads were constructed to supply or feed the railway stations with

goods to be transported.

Harbour at Mombasa developed due to easy communication by road and

railway.

Lake steamer service on Lake Victoria was established which boosted trade.
 Major ports like Kisumu, Jinja, Port Bell, Entebbe, Bukoba, Mwanza and

Musoma were established and this boosted water transport.

By 1930, Kenya’s internal and international communication services had

been established.

Contribution of Lord Delamere to the economic development of Kenya

His real name was Hugh Cholmondeley.

He first came to Kenya in 1897 on a hunting expedition.

He probably came from South Africa and was attracted by the great

potential of the country.

He was a product of white settler influence in Kenya.

The white settlers increased in Kenya as a result of the construction of the

Uganda railway.

He later returned in 1903 to settle in the Kenyan highlands which were

suitable for white settlement.

Lord Delamere was determined to make farming a success in Kenya and

therefore worked hard for its development.

He acquired land at Njoro and around Lake Elmenteita for the development

of agriculture in Kenya.

He spent his personal effort and money on agricultural experiments in

Kenya.

He experimented on various types of wheat in the above areas.

Lord Delamere also experimented on various breeds of exotic livestock in

Kenya e.g. the Freshian.

 Delamere spent a lot of money trying to control diseases and climatic

problems in Kenya.

Through research, he was able to contain the ‘rust’ disease which threatened

wheat in Kenya.

He imported pigs, sheep and cattle although many of them died of the East

Coast Fever.

He carried out cross-breeding of exotic and local animals which promoted

the resistance of the animals.

In 1907, he produced his first successful wheat crop.

He also developed crops like tea, sisal, coffee and maize.

He was instrumental in the formation of ‘’Master-servants ordinance’’ of

1906 that was where Europeans were the masters and Africans were

the servants.

The ordinance made African interests secondary to the European interests

in Kenya.

Lord Delamere was active in settler politics and led the European settler

delegation to the Devonshire White Paper discussion in 1923.

He later died in 193 during the period of the Great Economic Depression.

Uganda Railway.

This was the railway line that was built from Mombasa (Kilindini) harbour at

the coast of Kenya through Kenya to Kampala and then extended to other parts

of Uganda.
Construction began on 30th May 1896 and Sir George White House was the

chief engineer.

Labour was mainly provided by the Indian Coolies.

From the start, the line was called the Uganda railway because the British

wanted to effectively exploit the economic resources of Uganda since Kenya

offered less prospects.

Reasons for the construction of the Uganda railway

The British constructed the line to establish effective control over Uganda

and Kenya.

The railway line also intended to ease the transportation of Military

personnel, Colonialists, arms or weapons and administrators in Uganda.

The line was built purposely to open the interior for trade and commerce i.e.

to enable East Africa carry out trade with the outside world.

The line was built to help in the elimination of Slave trade because it would

enable the abolitionists move into the interior of Uganda and Kenya.

The line was meant to encourage cash crop growing like cotton, tea e.t.c

which would lead to the economic development of Kenya and Uganda.

The line was built to provide a cheaper quicker and easier means of transport

to replace the slave trade that involved moving long distances on foot.

The line was constructed to ease the work and movement of the missionaries

who wanted to spread Christianity and civilize Africans

The British built the line in order to conform to the doctrine of effective

occupation as demanded by the Berlin conference of 1884 – 1885.

 The line was also constructed in order to stop other powers like the

Egyptians who had also shown interest in controlling Uganda because of

the source of the River Nile.

The British wanted to provide employment opportunities for the people of

Uganda and Kenya through the construction of the railway e.g. people

were to be employed as cleaners, mechanics and in the loading and off

loading sections.

The line was constructed because the Imperial British East Africa company

(IBEACO), had recommended it and it had even surveyed its route.

The line was intended to make Uganda and Kenya self reliant and enable

them to pay for their own administration.

After the signing of the second Anglo – German agreement of 1890

(Heligoland treaty), the British had no fear of investing their money in

Uganda and that’s why the line was constructed.

The line was intended to open up the remote areas of E.Africa to develop

them into urban centres.

It was constructed to link the landlocked Uganda to the East African coast.

Extension of the Uganda railway (1896 – 1965)

The idea of building the railway line was introduced by William MacKinnon

of IBEACO.

In 1892, a survey of the route was done.

On 30th May 1896, the project eventually began at Kilindini (Mombasa).

Sir George white house was the Chief engineer.

 Over 32,000 Indian coolies were recruited for the job since Africans were

not interested in the work.

In 1898, the railway line had reached Voi.

By 30th June 1899, the line had reached Nairobi and this is where the

central store of materials was located.

By 1900, the line had reached Nakuru.

By 20th December 1901, it had advanced to Kisumu where it was

connected to Uganda through a steamer service ship (ferry) across Lake

Victoria.

In 1913, the Nairobi-Thika line was extended to the European farms of

Nyeri and Nyahururu.

From 1921, there was a major expansion of the line in Kenya e.g. in 1926

the Nakuru to Solai line was constructed and then it was extended to

Eldoret during the same period.

In 1913, the Naivasha-Gilgil-Thomson’s falls line was also constructed.

From Eldoret, the line was extended to Kitale to the European farms in the

area.

In Uganda.

From Kisumu where the line had reached in 1901, it was connected to

Uganda through a regular steamer service (ferry) across Lake Victoria to

Port Bell.

In 1912, Sir Hesketh Bell built the line that connected Kampala to Port Bell

to reduce on congestion at the port.

In the same year (1912), the Jinja –Namasagali line was constructed to

encourage cotton growing in Busoga.

In 1928, the Namasagali-Tororo line was constructed to tap mineral

potentials and cotton.

From Tororo, the line was connected to Eldoret in Kenya to reduce on the

congestion at Port Bell.

In 1929, the Tororo – Soroti line was constructed through Mbale to

encourage cotton and coffee growing and enable the transportation of

cattle.

In 1931, the line crossed the Nile and reached Kampala.

This was to ease the transportation of goods like coffee from the East to

Kampala.

In 1956, the Kampala – Kasese line was constructed to transport copper

from Kilembe mines to Jinja for smelting.

In the 1960’s, Soroti was connected to Lira then to Gulu to transport cotton,

simsim and cattle.

By1965, the line had reached Pakwach to transport tobacco, simsim,

Cotton and coffee from Northern Uganda.

Problems faced during the construction of the railway line

Physical obstacles like forests, steep relief, steep escarpments of the rift

valley and rivers caused engineering problems especially in Kenya.

Wild animals like Lions in the Tsavo region of Kenya delayed the projects as

people feared and failed to work for over a month.

Hostile African tribes also made the construction difficult e.g. the Nandi stole

the construction materials before disappearing into their hills.

The harsh climate like heavy rains and scorching sun also made the

construction work very difficult.

Labour shortage mainly because most Africans were not interested in

constructing the railway line.

The British resorted to the Indian coolies who were very weak and they

caused unnecessary delays.

Tropical diseases like Malaria, jiggers and small pox also proved to be a

problem because they claimed the lives of many Indian Coolies.

Inadequate funds also made the construction work difficult because the cost

of the line was too high i.e. the British spent about 8 million pounds and

yet the initial budget was 2 million pounds.

The constructors faced hostility from the Germans who frequently attacked

the line e.g. at Voi in order to make the constructors’ work very difficult.

Lack of food was another big problem because the constructors had to

depend on supplies from Europe.

Language barrier also affected the construction because the British, Africans

and Coolies couldn’t easily communicate with each other.

There was also lack of communication between the constructors and the

colonial office in London where orders were supposed to come from.

There was a problem of poor transport and communication especially when

it came to transporting heavy construction materials with in East Africa.

 Lack of co-operation between the railway authority and local leaders was

also a problem e.g. the local leaders accused builders for not consulting

them.

British engineers were very few and this always led to acts of indiscipline,

disorder and wastefulness on the part of the Coolies.

Inadequate port facilities in Mombasa caused a problem because it was

difficult to off load heavy rail way machinery.

Effects of the Uganda railway (In Uganda )

Transport and communication from the interior to the coast was made easy

for example a journey that used to take months was now covered in a

week.

The line stimulated economic growth and promoted international and local

trade e.g. agricultural products could now be exported using the railway.

The construction of the line stimulated the growing of cash crops e.g. Cotton,

Coffee and Tobacco.

Towns developed especially along the railway routes e.g. Kisumu, Nakuru,

Voi, Nakuru, Kitale, Tororo, Mbale and Jinja.

Construction of the line brought many Indians into E.Africa e.g. a fifth of all

the Indian coolies who came to construct the railway remained behind to

do business.

There was loss of lives especially in areas where the stubborn Africans were

refusing the line to pass through their lands e.g. during the Nandi

resistance.
 Construction of the line caused an influx of Europeans into E.Africa who

came to do trade and agriculture for example in the Kenyan highlands.

Construction of the line created many employment opportunities for many

people e.g. station managers, locomotive drivers, engineers, mechanics.

The influx of whites and Asians resulted into political conflicts especially in

Kenya and this resulted in the Devonshire white paper declaration of

March 1923.

Construction of the line brought slave trade and human porterage to an end

and legitimate trade was introduced.

The construction of the line eased the British administration of Uganda and

Kenya i.e. troops and administrators were easily transported for

supervision.

The line speeded the development of feeder roads which connected areas

where goods were produced to railway stations.

The movement of missionaries with their property was made easy and this

led to western civilization and spread of Christianity.

The construction of the railway line led to the transfer of Kenya capital from

Mombasa in 1907 to Nairobi which was more central.

Africans like the Nandi and Masai lost their lands because they originally

occupied areas where the line passed

Small scale industries e.g. cotton ginneries, copper smelting and coffee

processing plants were established to reduce on the bulk of goods for

export.

The contribution of Allidina Visram in the economic development of Uganda

Aldina Visram was an Indian born in 1863 in India.

He came to Uganda as a result of the construction of the Uganda railway.

He began his commercial career in Zanzibar in 1870 during the prosperity

of the Indian Ocean trade and Long Distance trade.

He later moved to the interior of East Africa and set up a base at Bagamoyo.

During the progress and development of the railway line inland, he set up

commercial posts and centers along the line.

He was the most enterprising Indian trader in Uganda of his time.

He bought produce from African farmers for sell e.g. cotton, coffee and

tobacco.

He built cotton ginneries in Uganda e.g. in Kampala tp process the cotton.

He lent out money to African and Indian traders in East Africa.

He introduced the banking system e.g. he built the National Bank of India

and Commerce.

He reached Kampala and established himself as a powerful trader by 1898.

He opened the first shop in Uganda.

He established stations along the river Nile and had agents in Jinja.

He organized caravans which were sent between Uganda and the coast.

His trade was mainly in the export of ivory and cotton.

He acquired a lot of wealth and invested in oil mines, saw mills and a soda

factory.
He was a kind hearted man who gave out many donations e.g. to Namirembe

cathedral.

Many streets in Kampala and Jinja were named after him because of his

contribution to the economic development of Uganda.