Kenya: The Anchor of East Africa

There was a great question asked by numerous individuals in the eighteenth century with what happens to people’s lives when their country is a colony of another country. This was very important to Americans when they were being ruled by Great Britain, and even to this day it remains important when countries find themselves controlled by more powerful outsiders. But what is colonialism? Colonialism occurs when one nation takes control of another. Kenya’s experience as a colony of Great Britain gives us more of an idea of what being colonized meant both to the people being controlled and to those who control them. Although it seems hard to believe, Kenya was created by the Europeans and generally this had a positive on effect on Kenyans because it began development.

During the time period 1850-1914, even though Britain imperializing, Kenya was, in turn, very beneficial for the inhabitants of Kenya. However, the direct rule of Britain put Kenya through a massive transition from being independent to being colonial dominant, in which the natives of Kenya had lesser rights than did before and were treated inhumanely. Before being imperialized, Kenya was already divided into forty-two tribes. The two main kinfolks to be known are the Masai and the Kikuyu. These tribes helped in making the country's diversity, rich culture and heritage. Nonetheless, Kenya didn’t have much global contact; however, they did trade with the Arab merchants but kept it limited because they wanted to preserve their traditional

Before knowing, the conflict of colonialism of Kenya; you need to know about colonialism. Colonialism is “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.” It was said that Kenya was the “study for human history”. It was a learning process of colonialism and imperialism, of conquered other countries for the needs of materials (or any way to supply your country).

Some interesting things that set Kenya apart from other nations, is that it did not gain independence through civil war. Another thing to be noted, would be that Kenya is still considered a European country, because

In contrast, modern Kenyan culture has also affected Grace Ogot’s life as well, which plays a role in her writings and point of view as well. One of Grace Ogot’s main reasons for becoming a political figure was to give the Luo people a voice in Kenya’s government. The reason why is because Kenya’s government is basically made of leaders from the main tribes and the power comes from alliances made between tribes so that a tribe has more power from the rest. Kenya’s unstable government makes it more susceptible to corruption among the tribes and government officials (“Tribal”).

Women and Children of Kenya Are Subject to Violent Rapes and High Rates of HIV and Aids, Due to the Economic Crisis That Is Creating Corruption

Today Kenya is troubled in a political sense, as was proved by the violent and uncontrolled elections of December 2007, in which somewhere around 1,000 people were killed and over 300,000 made homeless ("Kenya Profile") Targeted ethnic violence directed towards the Kikuyu people, the community that the controversially elected president Kibaki belonged to. Although Kenya has had surprising political stability despite having issues like at one point having only one legal political party, alliances and disagreements begin with tribal loyalties and disagreements. This history implies that tribal identity is more important than creating national identity in a country where the notion of tribal identity is challenged by western government systems. Just as political issues and violence arose from detrimental demarcation of boundaries, the corrupt political leadership during colonial regimes created a weak and dependent economy.

b. Although Kenya had fertile soil in the highlands, aggressive commerce, and small minority of European settlers, there were still problems shortly after their independence. Unlike Tanzania, Kenya was capitalist by being more open with foreign investment and profit incentives. However, it led to inequality between the classes because Kenya had a large landlessness, unemployed, and poverty population. In addition, the constant conflicts between the ethnic groups and tensions between farmers and pastoralists contributed to political

Transitioning into Kenya’s economy, there has been a great deal of fluctuation for Kenyans. Since their independence in 1963, the country still aims to mature economically. Interestingly enough, it is considered to be the largest east African economy, however, that is being threatened by the issues revolving around the country’s trade and exports currently (The World Factbook). Kenya exports items such as tea, coffee, and certain vegetables; tea exports provide most benefit to the economy. Items imported include machinery, vehicles, refined petroleum, etc.

Kenya is a country in the eastern part of Africa, it is very close to the equator. The country is boarded with neighboring countries such as South Sudan in the north-west, Somalia in the north-east, Uganda in the west and Tanzania in the south. The eastern part of Kenya is surrounded

Kenya was colonized by the British Empire during the Scramble for Africa in 1895. The British colonized Kenya in hopes of finding raw materials to use in their factories and to expand their power’s reach. During the colonization of Kenya, natural resources such as cotton, wildlife, and human beings were taken advantage of and used in the processing of raw materials into goods for export. The Europeans forcefully took over Kenyan land, leaving the natives scattered and unhomed. Many rebellions occurred to fight back and reclaim the land the British stole. One of the most notable rebellions would be the Mau Mau rebellion, which resulted in violent divisions within the Kikuyu community. Kenya's legal status as an independent nation was provided

the Kenyan people's land. Some changes were to their religion preferences, their job pay, and

Africa is one of the most underdeveloped and poorest continents in the world. More specifically Kenya is one of the poorest countries out of all of the continents. It is said that in Africa having psychological trauma such as PTSD has become the norm. To make matters worst, almost half of Kenyans are below poverty with a life expectancy of about 54 and an enormous birthrate. With the birthrate being so high, most of the populations of Kenyans are children. On the other hand, because of the lack of money, Kenya has become the 9th highest place where disease is present in the world.

Though Kenya’s impoverished and underdeveloped conditions were certainly not highlighted in the film, I believe it is important to observe. These conditions are best displayed by the state of the primary school. In the film, students were forced to sit 5 students to a desk and were crammed into a tiny room. Moreover, the Kenyans were highly grateful for the concept of free education. This highly contrasts the state of American schools, which are typically well funded. Americans are used to the concept of free education, so much so, that people now desire free higher education. I believe this theme is important to note because it is the key difference between the Kenyan and American

Kenya is also the preferred entry point for companies wishing to expand further in the region. Moreover, East Africa’s largest economy is one of the most innovative on the African continent, which bodes well for future economic development.