S.4 Hist Dep'tal Notes-O-Level PDF
S.4 Hist Dep'tal Notes-O-Level PDF
S.4 Hist Dep'tal Notes-O-Level PDF
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 ZENJ 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.
2|P a g e
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.
3|P a g e
This was the trade that was carried out between the coastal people and Arabs mainly from Arabia and
Persia.
The trade was as a result of the contacts between the land of Azania and Arabia /Persia.
It was also the trade relationship between the East African coast and Arabia.
4|P a g e
Indian Ocean trade attracted the Portuguese in 1498 to come and conquer the coast. They looted and
destroyed many coastal towns.
The Arabs who came to trade later imposed themselves as the rulers over the local people making them
loose their independence.
The Indian Ocean trade opened up E.A to the outside world and this attracted more visitors to come to
the coast especially from the far east .
Literacy was promoted at the coast through the building of Quaranic schools and other Arabic literature.
Kiswahili was adopted as the main business language while Arabic become the official language.
THE GROWTH AND IMPORTANCE OF THE LEADING COASTAL TOWNS
The East African coast was made up of the 37 independent states.
Some of these states included kilwa, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilifi, Pate, Oja and Malindi.
MOMBASA:
It was assumed that Mombasa was founded in the 12th century.
It was founded by the Afro-Shiraz Arabs who displaced the Arabs.
Mombasa was founded as an export centre for slaves and Ivory and the town had a strong element of
African culture.
Mombasa grew rich because of the Indian ocean trade and she started expanding in the second half of
the 12th century.
The good natural harbours at Mombasa and her strategic position attracted the Arabs which led to
her development.
Due to intermarriages between the Africans and the Arabs, Mombasa became a centre of Swahili
culture.
From the 15th century onwards, Kilwa had started declining giving Mombasa a chance to grow to
fame and power.
Mombasa started putting up beautiful buildings and this attracted many people for settlement.
Mosques and Quaranic schools were built at Mombasa and its inhabitants were very devoted
Moslems.
However, Mombasa was always at war with Malindi.
When the Portuguese landed at the coast, it was finally defeated and Fort Jesus was setup.
ZANZIBAR:
Zanzibar started as a small fishing village.
Its earliest occupants came around the 11th century.
These were later joined by the Arabs & Persians.
They intermarried with the local people giving birth to the Swahili people and culture.
Zanzibar gained a lot of wealth from the Indian Ocean trade.
She traded mainly in slaves, ivory and animal skins.
The wealthy Arabs also carried out agriculture and they set up coconut and clove plantations.
Between 1200-1500 AD, Zanzibar was one of richest coastal settlement with fine permanent stone
buildings.
Zanzibar was one of first coastal towns to mint and use her own coins.
She maintained her trade contacts with the Indians.
2 .a) Why were the Arabs interested in settling at the East African coast by 1000 A.D?
b) How did their settlement affect the peoples of the East African coast?
3. a)Explain the rise and development of the Swahili culture at the East African coast before 1500 A.D.
b) How did Islam influence the lives of the coastal people by 1500A.D?
4. a) Describe the ways of life of the East African coastal people by 1500 A.D.
b) What were the reasons for the development of the East African coastal states?
5. a)Describe the organization of the Indian ocean trade by 1500 A.D OR Describe the trade relationship
between Azania and Arabia during the period 1000-1500 A.D.
b) What were the effects of this trade on the Peoples of East Africa?
6. Describe the growth and development of any two of the following coastal towns.
a) Kilwa b) Mombasa c) Mogadishu d) Zanzibar e) Malindi.
9|P a g e
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.
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.
10 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Why were the Portuguese interested in controlling the East African coast 1500 A.D? OR Why did the
Portuguese wish to control the East African coast after 1498 A.D?
b) How did the Portuguese administer the East African coast between1500 to 1700 A.D?
2 .a) Why did the Portuguese conquer the East African coast with a lot of ease?
b) How were they able to control it for over 200 years?
3. a) Why did the Portuguese establish their control over the East African coast after 1498?
b) Why were there numerous resistances during their rule at the coast?
4. a) How did the Portuguese gain control of the East African coast between 1487 to 1510? OR How did the
Portuguese establish themselves on the East African coast?
b) Why did African resistance against the Portuguese fail? OR Why did the coastal states lose their
independence so easily to the Portuguese?
5. a) Describe the Portuguese conquest of the East African coast up to 1510. OR Describe the course of the
Portuguese conquest of the East African coast.
b) What problems did they meet in controlling this area during the 16th century?
6. a) Describe the political, social and economic ways of life at the coast between 1500 to 1700 A.D. OR
Describe the characteristics of the East African coast between 1500 to 1700 A.D.
b) What were the effects of Portuguese rule on the East African coast by 1700 A.D?
7. a) Why did the Portuguese lose control of the area North of River Ruvuma by 1700 A.D? OR Why did the
Portuguese rule finally come to an end by 1700 A.D?
b) How did their rule affect the coastal people? OR Why are they remembered in the history of East Africa?
8. a) How did the 200 years of Portuguese rule affect the coast of East Africa?
b) Why had they lost their control by 1700?
THE OMAN ARABS AT THE EAST AFRICAN COAST (1700 – 1880A.D)
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.
12 | P a g e
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.
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.
14 | P a g e
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.
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.
15 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Why did the Oman Arabs wish to control the East African coast after 1698?
b) Why was there a struggle between the coast and the Oman Arabs?
16 | P a g e
2. a) Why was there a struggle for the control of the East African coast between 1698-1840? OR What were the
causes of the Busaidi - Mazrui conflicts?
b) Describe the course of the struggle during that period.
3. a) Describe the main events in the struggle to control the coast between 1698-1840.
b) How did Seyyid Said settle these conflicts?
4. a) Why did Seyyid Said choose Zanzibar as the centre of his commercial activities?
b) How did he build up the economy of Zanzibar?
5. a) Why did Seyyid Said transfer his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1840?
b) Describe the economic, social and political development of Zanzibar under Seyyid Said.
7. a) Why did the Arabs have little interest in the interior of East Africa before 1500 A.D?
b) Why did they finally develop interest after 1500 A.D?
MIGRATIONS AND SETTLEMENT IN EAST AFRICA (1000 – 1880 A.D)
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
17 | P a g e
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.
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.
20 | P a g e
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.
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.
22 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Who were the Bantu? OR Describe the origins of the Bantu speaking people?
23 | P a g e
b) What were the causes of the Bantu migrations into East Africa?
2. a) Describe the course of their migration in East Africa before 1800 A.D.
b) What were the effects of their migration and settlement in East Africa?
3. a) Describe the movement and settlement of the Eastern Bantu into East Africa. OR Describe the movement
and settlement of the Western Bantu into East Africa.
b) What were the effects of their invasion on the people of East Africa?
4. a) Describe the organization of the migration of the Bantu speaking people into East Africa.
b) How were the people of East Africa affected by their coming?
5. a) Who were the River-Lake Nilotics? OR Describe the origins of the Luo speaking people.
b) Why did they leave their cradle land? OR What were the reasons for their migrations into East Africa?
6. a) Describe the course of the migrations of the Luo (River - Lake Nilotics) into East Africa.
b) What were the effects of their migration and settlement on the peoples of East Africa?
7. a) Who were the Ngoni? OR Describe the origins of the Nguni speaking people.
b) Why did they leave their cradle land for East Africa in the mid 19th century?
8. a) Describe the migration and distribution of the Ngoni peoples into East Africa in the mid 19th century.
b) What were the consequences of this invasion on Tanganyika by 1860?
9. a) Why was the Ngoni invasion of East Africa in the mid 19th century successful?
b) What were the results/impacts/outcomes of their migration into East Africa by 1860?
10. a) Why did East African resistance against the Ngoni fail in the mid 19th century?
b) How did this migration affect mainland Tanganyika by 1860?
11. a) Who were the Plain/Highland Nilotes? OR Describe the origins of the Plain/Highland Nilotes.
b) Why did they migrate from their cradle land?
12. a) Describe the course of the migration and settlement of the Plain/Highland Nilotes.
b) What impacts did their migration have on the people among whom they settled?
THE RISE OF THE INTERLACUSTRINE 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.
ABATEMBUZI
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.
24 | P a g e
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.
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.
1. 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.
27 | P a g e
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.
28 | P a g e
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.
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.
29 | P a g e
2. BUGANDA KINGDOM
Origins
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.
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.
31 | P a g e
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.
3. ANKOLE KINGDOM
ORIGINS
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.
32 | P a g e
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.
4. KARAGWE KINGDOM
Origins
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.
Political organisation
Ruhinda introduced a centralized system of government.
The centralized system replaced the clan system headed clan leaders called Muharambwa.
33 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Who were the Chwezi/Bachwezi? OR What were the origins of the Bachwezi/Chwezi?
b) Explain their importance in the history of East Africa. OR Why are they still remembered in the history of
East Africa?
2. a) What were the origins of Bunyoro-Kitara Empire/kingdom?
b) How was the empire organized by 1350 A.D? OR Describe the political, social and economic organization
of Bunyoro-Kitara Empire by 1350.
5. a) Describe the political, social and economic organization of Bunyoro kingdom before 1850.
b) How did Kabalega try to rebuild Bunyoro kingdom?
34 | P a g e
6. a) Describe the career and achievements of Kabalega for the kingdom of Bunyoro.
b) What led to the decline of his empire after 1890? OR What led to the eventual collapse/downfall of
Bunyoro kingdom?
9. a) Describe the political, social and economic organization of Buganda kingdom before 1850.
b) Why did the kingdom start collapsing after 1850?
10. a) How did Ruhinda establish his rule over Karagwe? OR How was the Hinda dynasty established?
b) What changes did Ruhinda introduce?
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.
36 | P a g e
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.
37 | P a g e
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.
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.
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.
THE CHAGGA
Origins
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
40 | P a g e
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.
THE GALLA
Origins
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.
41 | P a g e
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.
THE MASAI
Origins
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.
42 | P a g e
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.
43 | P a g e
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.
THE ACHOLI
Origins
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.
44 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. Describe the political, social and economic organization of any two of the following societies;
(a)Kikuyu (b)Nyamwezi (c)Itesot (d)Karamojong (e)Galla (f)Chagga (g)Maasai (h) Acholi
6. a) Explain the relationship between the Maasai and Kikuyu during the 19th century.
b) What led to the decline of Maasai power and influence?
45 | P a g e
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.
46 | P a g e
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Southern trade route; It was controlled by the Yao. It started from Kilwa through Malawi, Southern
Tanganyika up to the Muenomotapa Kingdom in Congo.
4. 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 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.
48 | P a g e
PROBLEMS FACED IN THE L.D.T
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.
51 | P a g e
Many young men grouped themselves into warrior groups as a result of slave trade e.g. the Ruga Ruga and
Maviti warriors.
Slave trade led to the colonization of East Africa this was because many whites (Europeans) came to East
Africa with a purpose of abolishing slave trade.
Many foreign goods were imported into East Africa e.g. Mirrors, clothes hence the local people enjoyed
these goods for the first time.
Slave trade led to the spread of Islam and Kiswahili language into the interior of East Africa.
Slave trade opened up East Africa commercially to the outside world.
This attracted the French, British and Portuguese traders to come to East Africa.
Slave trade stimulated the growth of coastal towns e.g. Zanzibar, Mombasa, Kilwa and interior towns like
Tabora, Ujiji which acted as collecting centers.
Slave trade also led to underdevelopment of East Africa because only strong men were taken.
Revision questions
1. a) What factors led to the development of the Long distance trade in East Africa?
b) Describe the organization of the Long distance trade in the 19th century.
2. a) How was the Long distance trade in East Africa organized between 1800-1880?
b) What problems were faced by the merchants in the Long distance trade?
3. a) Why did the Long distance trade decline during the 2nd half of the 19th century ?
b) What impacts/consequences/effects/results did it have on the peoples East Africa?
4. a)Describe the role played by any two of the following societies in the 19th century Long distance trade
(1)Nyamwezi (2) Kamba (3) Yao
b) Why did the trade decline in the 2 half of the 19th century?
nd
5. a) Why did the Nyamwezi get involved in the 19th century Long distance trade?
b) What roles did they play in the organization of the trade?
6. a)Why did slave trade expand in East Africa in the first half of the 19th century?
b) How was Slave trade organized?
7. a) Describe the working of Slave trade in East Africa in the early 19th century.
b) What were the effects/consequences/results/outcomes of this trade?
8. a) Why was Slave trade abolished in East Africa during the 2nd half of the 19th century?
b) Why did the process of abolition prove to be so difficult?
9. a) Describe the steps taken by the British to abolish Slave trade in East Africa.
b) What problems were met by the abolitionists?
10. a) Outline the steps taken to abolish Slave trade in East Africa?
b) What were the effects of the abolition of Slave trade on the peoples of East Africa?
55 | P a g e
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.
56 | P a g e
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.
57 | P a g e
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.
58 | P a g e
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.
59 | P a g e
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.
61 | P a g e
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.
62 | P a g e
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.
BERLIN CONFERENCE;
This conference was called by Otto Von Bismarck, the German chancellor. The conference came up
with the following guidelines;
No European power was to ally with any African country to frustrate colonialism.
It was also agreed that all European powers should eliminate slave trade in their colonies.
Each European country had to effectively occupy it’ s colony by developing it.
It was also agreed that a paper map of E .Africa should be drawn to ease the partition.
64 | P a g e
In case a colonial power wanted to extend its influence, it had to first inform other European countries to
avoid clashes and misunderstandings.
Congo was to be left to Belgium while France was to be compensated in West Africa.
The conference accordingly gave Germany and Britain a free hand in East Africa.
67 | P a g e
New forms of administration were introduced in E.Africa i.e. indirect rule by the British and direct rule by
the Germans.
71 | P a g e
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.
72 | P a g e
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.
73 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Why were different European powers interested in East Africa in the 2nd half of the 19th century?
b) What problems did they face in East Africa?
2. a) Why were European countries involved in the scramble and partition of East Africa?
b) What were the effects of colonization on the peoples of East Africa?
6. a) Describe the methods used by the British to establish their rule in Uganda.
b) What problems did they encounter in Uganda?
11. a) Describe the nature of Indirect rule in Uganda OR How was indirect rule applied?
b) What were the effects of this system on Uganda?
14. a) How did the Germans gain control of Tanganyika between 1884 and 1890?
b) How did they administer the area up to 1914?
15. a) Explain the causes of the Anglo – German rivalry in East Africa.
b) What were the steps taken to end this rivalry?
16. a) What led to the Anglo – German conflict in East Africa during the 19th century?
b) Explain the effects of this conflict on the peoples of East Africa.
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).
77 | P a g e
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.
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.
78 | P a g e
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.
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.
82 | P a g e
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.
83 | P a g e
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.
84 | P a g e
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.
85 | P a g e
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.
86 | P a g e
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.
87 | P a g e
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.
90 | P a g e
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.
91 | P a g e
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.
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.
92 | P a g e
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.
94 | P a g e
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.
95 | P a g e
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.
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.
97 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
3. a) Why did some African societies resist colonial rule in East Africa?
b) Why did African resistance against colonial imposition fail?
5. a)Why did Semei Kakungulu collaborate with the British colonialists before 1914?
b) What were the results/effects/outcomes of his collaboration?
8. a) Describe the course of the struggle that took place in central Kenya in the 1950s.
b) Why did the Europeans emerge victorious over the Africans?
9. a) What were the causes of the uprising in Southern Tanganyika between 1905-1907?
b) How did it affect the peoples of Southern Tanganyika up to independence?
11. a) Describe the response of the Nandi to the imposition of colonial rule in their area?
b) What were the effects of their response to colonial rule?
12. a) What were the causes of the Nandi uprisings of 1895 to 1906?
b) Why were the Nandi able to resist the British for so long?
13. a) Why did it take the British so long to defeat the Nandi?
98 | P a g e
b) Why were the Nandi finally colonized by the British?
14. a) What were the causes of Chief Mkwawa’ s resistance against German rule?
b) What were the effects of his resistance?
16. a) What were the reasons for the failure of the Hehe rebellion?
b) How did it affect the affairs of Tanganyika up to independence?
18. a) What were the causes of the rebellion along the coast of Tanganyika between 1888-1890?
b) How did it affect the peoples of Tanganyika up to independence?
19. a) Why were the Germans able to suppress the Abushiri revolt of 1888-1890?
b) What were the effects of this revolt on the affairs of Tanganyika?
101 | P a g e
The Baganda were also worried about the developments in the Legislative council which was turning into a
small national assembly for 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”
102 | P a g e
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 in
dependence on 9th October 1962.
103 | P a g e
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.
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.
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.
104 | P a g e
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.
107 | P a g e
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Why was the 1900 Buganda agreement signed?
b) What were the results/significances/effects of this agreement?
3. a) Explain the factors which led to the issuing of the 1923 Devonshire white paper.
b) Why is this paper still remembered in the history of East Africa?
4. a) What were the causes of conflict between the various races in Kenya between 1907 – 1923?
b) How did the Duke of Devonshire settle these conflicts?
6. a) Why did the settlers send Asian and European delegations to the colonial secretary in 1923?
b) What were the outcomes of their journey?
7. a) What led to the racial differences between the Europeans and Asians in Kenya between 1907 -1923?
b) How did the Duke of Devonshire settle these differences?
9. a) What led to the conflict between the British and the Baganda between 1953 – 1955?
b) What were the effects of this crisis on Buganda up to independence?
10. Describe the role played by the following in the history of East Africa;
(a)Sir Hesketh Bell (b) Lord Delamere (c) Sir Donald Cameron
11. a) Why did Uganda receive few white settlers? OR Why didn’ t Uganda develop into a settler colony?
b) Why was Kenya developed into a settler colony?
12. a) What problems did the white settler communities encounter in Kenya?
b) Describe the role of the white settlers in the development of the economy of Kenya up to 1945.
13. a) What factors led to the rise of settler communities in Kenya in the late 19th century?
b) What were the effects of their activities on the Africans in Kenya?
THE 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.
108 | P a g e
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.
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.
Revision questions
1. a) Why was the Uganda railway constructed?
b) Explain the problems/obstacles/difficulties faced during the construction?
2. a) Describe the development of the railway system in Uganda between 1912 – 1965.
b) What were the effects of the railway construction?
3. a) To which parts and for what reasons was the Uganda railway extended after 1912?
b) Show its importance in the development of Uganda in the same period.
4. a) Describe the development of the Uganda railway in Kenya and Uganda between 1896 – 1962.
b) How did the building of this railway affect the peoples of East Africa?
5. a) Describe the role played by Aldina Visram to the economic development of Uganda.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EAST AFRICA
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN UGANDA
Before 1920, formal education in Uganda was run by the Christian missionaries.
Their efforts were mainly concentrated in Buganda.
Wherever they built a Church they would also set up a dispensary and a grammar School.
Their main aim was to enable their converts acquire the three Rs – Arithmetic, Reading and writing.
Their literacy was limited to reading religious books.
However, by this time, very few African parents were willing to take their children to school.
From 1900, missionaries introduced formal school education which was run alongside traditional education
which they found.
The aim of this type of education was to create a civil and literate community.
Those who had this type of formal education could be clerks, interpreters and catechists.
In 1902, the first school was built called Namilyango College.
It was mainly children of chiefs and influential families who joined this school.
In the same year, Mengo High School was also constructed by the church missionary society.
By 1903, 7,800 girls were attending school.
The girls’ syllabus stressed submissiveness, hard work and good behavior.
In 1905, a boarding girls’ school was opened called Gayaza High School.
In 1906, King’ s College Buddo was opened mainly for the sons and relatives of the Kabaka.
St. Mary’ s college Kisubi was later opened in 1908.
More schools were opened up in Masaka, Kamuli, Iganga, Hoima, Gulu and Mbarara.
Such schools included Ntare School, Mary Hill high school and Kiira College Butiki.
In these schools, more emphasis was put on religious knowledge, English, geography and arithmetic.
These schools were run along denominational lines and were headed by reverends, nuns and priests.
Teacher Training Colleges (T.T.Cs) were later setup, the first at Mukono by the Anglican Church.
From 1920, the colonial government became interested in controlling education standards in Uganda.
This was because of the weaknesses found in missionary education e.g. they had neglected technical and
industrial education and they had also neglected agriculture and animal husbandry.
112 | P a g e
The colonial government thus set up a department of education to guide education in Uganda.
Revision questions
1. a) Describe the developments in formal education in Uganda during the first half of the 20th century.
b) Why did the colonial government become interested in controlling education after 1920?
2. a) Explain the role played by the colonial government in promoting education in Uganda before
independence.
b) How did these developments affect the people of Uganda up to independence?
116 | P a g e
Trade was disrupted and exports declined. E.g. Ugandan coffee and cotton prices fell and many people lost
their businesses.
A lot of man power was devoted to fighting and agriculture was neglected, it led to reduced food production
which led to an outbreak of famine.
The family system was disrupted as men were forced to abandon their wives and children to go and fight in
foreign lands like Burma.
The war veterans also brought and spread venereal diseases and other sexually transmitted diseases like
Syphilis and Gonorrhea.
Many people in Tanganyika were imprisoned during the war especially those who had supported the
Germans during the battle.
The war led to serious depopulation as many people were taken to fight and others migrated to other
regions.
Since the ex-soldiers had acquired military skills during the war, they spearheaded the campaigns against
colonialism upon their return e.g. General China led the Mau-Mau rebellion.
The war sowed seeds of nationalism in East Africa especially in Kenya where Ex-soldiers formed militant
groups like Mau-Mau.
The ex-servicemen caused resettlement problems on their return e.g. they had no land and most of them
wanted to stay in urban areas where there were no jobs.
Italy was defeated during the war which forced her to surrender to the British and this led to the British
extension of her colonial territory to include Port Kismayo, Somalia and southern Ethiopia.
After the war, Tanganyika became a trusteeship of the British under a UNO provision towards self
government.
The war led to the formation of the UNO, which strongly de-campaigned colonialism and this led to the
Independence of East African countries in the early 1960s.
The British government directed technical schools and institutions to introduce and produce war equipment.
Many European communities began to change their attitude towards Africans for the better.
117 | P a g e
The war led to the rise of educated and prominent personalities like Jomo Kenyatta, Dedan Kimathi who
were able to organize and mobilize the masses to achieve self rule.
The war exposed the Africans to the value of solidarity and unity. The Africans were able to realize the need
for a united force in their quest for independence.
The war led to the emergence of new super powers e.g. USA and Soviet Union to replace Britain and
Germany and gave their support to the Africans to fight for their independence.
Africans learnt how to use military vehicles, sophisticated weapons and military tactics and upon their
return to East Africa, they taught the local people.
Revision questions
1. a) Why was East Africa involved in the first world war of 1914 – 1918?
b) What were the effects of this war on East Africa?
3. a) Why was East Africa involved in the second World war of 1939 – 1945?
b) What were the consequences of this war on the people of East Africa?
119 | P a g e
POLITICAL PARTIES IN EAST AFRICA
A political party is an association of persons whose major aim is to acquire state power.
In East Africa, parties formed included: Kenya African National Union (KANU), Kenya African
Democratic Union (KADU), Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), Democratic Party (D.P) Uganda
National Congress (UNC), and Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC).
Most of these parties were formed and dominated by educated Africans.
122 | P a g e
On 9th December 1962, Tanganyika got total independence from the British which the Duke of Edinburgh
handed to Nyerere at Dar-es-salaam stadium.
Nyerere became the first president of Tanzania.
He retired from government service in 1985 and he died of Leukemia on 14th October 1999 at St. Thomas
hospital in London.
Why did Tanganyika attain independence earlier than Uganda and Kenya?
Tanganyika was gifted with able leadership of Julius Nyerere who acted as a unifying factor.
Nyerere’ s friendly relations with the governor Sir Richard Turnbull with whom they always discussed
Tanganyika’ s problems.
The presence of Kiswahili as a unifying language also speeded up independence because it fostered unity.
Tanganyika was a mandated territory of the UN and was being looked after by the British yet UN was
against colonialism.
Tanganyika lacked tribal and regional parties like it was the case in Uganda and Kenya which also promoted
unity.
There were no settler demands in Tanganyika like it was in Kenya where the white settlers wanted a say in
government affairs.
The close links that existed between UN and TANU also speeded up her independence campaigns.
Nyerere was never imprisoned or his party banned like Kenyatta and UNC were banned from politics at one
time.
TANU lacked a strong rival and therefore it had a strong following from all the people of Tanganyika.
Nyerere came from the Zenaki tribe which was one of the smallest tribes in Tanganyika which never caused
tribal conflicts and feuds.
Trade unions in Tanganyika were very active and strong compared to those in Uganda and Kenya which
speeded up their demands for independence.
UGANDA
On 9th October 1962, Uganda attained total independence from the British.
This was mainly due to the role played by Apollo Milton Obote.
123 | P a g e
In 1958, he was elected to the Legco representing Lango and he came one of the vocal members on the
council.
At the same time, he befriended Ignatius Kangave Musaazi the leader of UNC and Musaazi appointed
Obote as UNC representative in Mbale.
Later, Obote sacked Musaazi for travelling to London without the consent of the party.
As a result, UNC lost its popularity and Musaazi was exiled in Gulu and later London.
Obote then befriended William K Nadiope, a member of the Legco who had formed the Uganda Peoples’
Union (UPU).
Nadiope always moved with and introduced Obote as a son of Busoga to the masses but this was a mistake
because it weakened UPU.
In 1959, there was a split in UNC and Obote led the anti-Buganda wing.
In 1960, he was awarded a honorary degree of Law of Long Island University in U.S.A.
On 9th March 1960, UPU merged with Obote’ s UNC wing to form the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC).
Obote assumed leadership of the new party with John Kakonge as Secretary General.
The party became more popular as more prominent people joined it e.g. Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Ali Kirunda
Kivejinja and Dani Wadada Nabudere.
In the 1961 elections, Obote’ s UPC lost to Ben Kiwanuka’ s Democratic Party (DP).
Kiwanuka became the leader of the Legco and Obote became leader of the opposition.
In the Legco, Obote strongly demanded for an advance towards self rule.
On 1st March 1961, Uganda became self governing.
in the same year, Obote was among those who attended the London conference where he greatly supported
Buganda’ s federal demands.
He was so tactical that he even decided to marry a Muganda lady called Miria Kalule which made him a
darling of the Baganda.
In April 1962, elections were organized and UPC got 37, DP got 24 and Kabaka Yekka (KY) got 21 votes.
Obote decided to ally with KY to form a government and this was a victory for Obote.
On 9th October 1962, Uganda got her independence with Obote as the Prime Minister.
On 10th October 2005, Obote died in a Johannesburg hospital.
KENYA
On 12th December 1963, Kenya finally attained independence from the British.
Over 250,000 people gathered at the Uhuru stadium to witness the occasion.
It was steered to independence through the efforts of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Kenya African National
Union (KANU).
124 | P a g e
KANU established ties with other political parties that were also fighting for independence like TANU in
Tanganyika and CPP in Ghana.
It condemned land grabbing and disrespect for African cultures.
KANU won international sympathy, support and respect from all over the world.
It was involved in the formation of Mau Mau to liberate Kenya.
Using Mau Mau, it made Kenya ungovernable to the whites.
Using the philosophy of Harambee, national unity was fostered.
KANU groomed leaders who were instrumental in the fights for Kenya’ s independence e.g. General China.
KANU participated in the constitutional process that led to Kenya’ s independence.
On 12th December 1963, Kenya successfully attained independence with Kenyatta as the president.
The party therefore provided the first leaders of Kenya and formed the first government in Kenya.
125 | P a g e
This led to the formation of a new party called KADU (Kenya African Democratic Union).
Kenyatta tried to reconcile KADU and KANU but his attempts failed.
In January 1962, he was elected to the Legco and during general elections, KANU won with an over
whelming majority.
In February 1962, Kenyatta attended the second Lancaster House Conference that was called to draw up a
constitution for Kenya.
In May 1963, elections were held and KANU won with eighty two seats and its rival KADU got forty one
seats.
On 1st June 1963, Kenya attained self rule and Kenyatta became prime minister.
He chose all his ministers from all races and always stressed African unity.
On 12th December 1963, Kenya achieved total independence at Uhuru stadium.
Prince Philip handed over the reigns of power to Jomo Kenyatta who therefore became the first President of
Kenya.
In 1978, Kenyatta died.
He was popularly known as ‘ ’ Mzee’ ’ a Swahili word for old man.
Revision questions
1. a) What factors contributed to the growth of nationalism in East Africa between 1945 – 1960?
b) What obstacles/setbacks did the early nationalists face in their struggle for independence?
2. Describe the career and achievements of any two of the following in the history of East Africa.
(a) Apollo Milton Obote (b) Jomo Kenyatta (c) Julius Nyerere (d) Ignatius .K. Musaazi.
5. a) What were the achievements of political parties in the independence struggle of East Africa?
b) Why did Tanganyika get her independence earlier than Kenya and Uganda?
6. What were the contributions of any two of the following towards the independence struggle?
(a) The Uganda People’ s Congress (U.P.C)
(b) The Kenya African National Union (K.A.N.U)
(C) The Tanganyika African National Union (T.A.N.U)
END
126 | P a g e