1918-1939 Independence
since 1963







Kenya 1939-1963



The Kenya colony and protectorate was administrated by a Governor (under the Colonial Office), assisted by an EXECUTIVE COUNCIL and a LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, the latter partially elected; elections were held within three groups, (i) Europeans of both genders, (ii) British Indian men and (iii) Arab men. Native Africans were denied vote and representation. In 1945 the population was established at 4,055,000 natives, 2,575 Somalis etc., 21,020 Arabs, 5,993 Goans, 78,558 Indians and 23,284 Europeans.
Mussolini's Italy entered World War II on the side of the Axis in June 1940, when German troops occupied France. Italian troops immediately invaded British Somaliland; Kenya again was a frontier country. In 1941 British forces went on the offensive, taking entire Italian East Africa.
Main export items were cotton, coffee, sisal hemp, hides and skins and tea. During the war years the Kenya Colony and Protectorate had a budget surplus.
In 1943 the East African Florin was replcd by the East African Shilling.
In 1948, the EAST AFRICAN HIGH COMMISSION was founded, in 1961 the EAST AFRICAN COMMON SERVICES ORGANIZATION (member colonies Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika).
In 1947 the labour force was given at 272,599. Basic wages were given as 14s. to 19s. for unskilled agricultural labour (adult men), 58s. for skilled labour, 70s. to 80s. for drivers, over 100s. for clerical staff, 30s. to 50s. for domestic servants (Nairobi). The South and East African Yearbook (1949 p.787) comments : "Labour conditions are experiencing considerable changes throughout this Colony. This in the main is the result of natural evolution but has been accentuated by the War and post-war conditions. A strong current of unrest is evident here as in most other countries to-day. Some of the unrest represents a genuine movement towards improved conditions. On the other hand a good deal is the result of irresponsible elements seeking to exploit a situation from which they hope personally to benefit." Dissatisfaction with their status as compared with the white settlers, and with their insufficient political representation, many Kikuyu joined the MAU MAU RISING (1952-1956). Several constitutional changes were made, to the effect that African representation in the Legislative Council was increased. The British government purchased many white-owned farms in order to hand them over to Africans.
In 1963, Kenya, i.e. both the colony and the protectorate, were released into independence.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Kenya; Mau Mau; Jomo Kenyatta
Kenyan History, by Timothy F. Bliss
Mombasa's History, from Mombasa Online
Timeline of Kenyan History, from Africanet; detailed timeline from Kenyaweb
How Britain crushed the MauMau Rebellion 1952-1959, by B. Slaughter, from World History Archives
EAC in Brief, from EACHQ
German P.O.W.s held in Kenya, from Kriegsgefangen.de, text in English
Hunting the Mau Mau, Kenya 1952-1960, from Britain's Small Wars 1945-2001
CASCON Case SEK : Somalia - Ethiopia - Kenya 1960-1964, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
Kenya : The Party System in 1950-1956 and 1957-1962, in : Kenneth Janda, Political Parties : A Cross-National Survey
DOCUMENTS Map of Kenya, from Timothy F. Bliss
Flag of British Kenya, from FOTW
Yomo Kenyatta : The Kenya Africa Union is not the Mau Mau, Speech 1952, from Modern History Sourcebook
Paper Money of the East African Currency Board, from African Banknotes
REFERENCE South and East African Year Book and Guide, 49th edition, 1949, pp.755-757, 770-808
Chapter 18 : Kenya, the Land ans People, pp.310-333; 19 : Kenya, British Rule in Africa, pp.334-357; 20 : Kenya : the Mau Mau, pp.358-378, in : John Gunther, Inside Africa, NY : Harper & Bros. (1953) 1955 [G]
Article : British East Africa, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1944 p.127, 1945 pp.124-125, 1946 pp.146-147, 1947 pp.149-150, 1948 pp.139-140, 1949 pp.118-120, 1950 pp.127-128, 1951 pp.124-125, 1952 pp.122-123, 1953 pp.123-124, 1954 pp.121-124, 1955 pp.181-183, 1956 pp.120-122, 1957 pp.180-182 [G]
Article Kenya, from : Britannica Book of the Year 1958 pp.388-389, 1959 pp.385-386, 1960 pp.379-380, 1961 p.386, 1962 p.382, 1963 pp.499-501, 1964 pp.478-579 [G]
Michael Twaddle, The Settlement of South Asians in East Africa, pp.74-76 in : Robin Cohen, The Cambridge Survey of World Migration, Cambridge : UP 1995, KMLA Lib.Sign. 304.809 C678c
Article : Kenya Colony and Protectorate, in : Statesman's Year Book 1943 pp.208-212 [G]
Article : Kenya Colony and Protectorate, in : Americana Annual 1943 p.411, 1944 pp.376-377 [G]
Article : British East Africa, in : Americana Annual 1945 p.115; Kenya pp.393-394 (on events of 1944) [G]
Article : British East Africa, in : Americana Annual 1946 pp.120-123 (on events of 1945) [G]
Article : British East Africa, in : Americana Annual 1947 pp.98-100 (on events of 1946) [G]
Article : British East Africa - Kenya, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.102-104 (on events of 1956) [G]
Article : British East Africa - Kenya, in : Americana Annual 1961 pp.93-94 (on events of 1960) [G]
Article : British East Africa - Kenya, in : Americana Annual 1962 pp.91-94 (on events of 1961) [G]
Article : Kenya, in : Americana Annual 1963 pp.372-373 (on events of 1962) [G]
History of Kenya Colony and Protectorate, pp.3-5; Kenya pp.18-63, in : Year Book and Guide to East Africa 1963 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on May 1st 2008

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