Pre – Colonial Africa/ Kenya• Mid 1800’s

• Hundreds of different ethnic groups in Sub Saharan Africa

• Follow traditional religions & speak hundreds of languages

• Subsistence lifestyle – both farming and herding groups

• In Kenya, over forty previously independent communities are put into one territorial entity (Ogot, 2000).

Colonization• 1884-1885 Berlin

Conference

• 14 European countries sat down to divide Africa

• Boundaries were set without consideration of African ethnic or language groups

• People who were enemies were combined and some groups were divided

Kenya is controlled by the British• 1895-1920 Europeans

are encourage to settle in Kenya – get the best farmland

• African are pushed to reservations

• Indians (from India) are brought in to build the railroad

Divide and Conquer

• Through divide and rule, the administration played off one ethnic group against another or signed protection treaties with some ethnic groups, thereby cementing the differences between the various groups.

Mau Mau Rebellion – 1952-1960• Kikuyu (largest ethnic group in

Kenya)

• Take an oath to get their land back

• British killed and detained in camps thousands of Africans –over 10,000

• Some British are killed

• Africans are also killed by other Africans for being seen as working with the British

Independence - 1963

• Becomes a republic

1990’s

• Ethnic conflict

• Widespread corruption

Education• 2002 Free Primary Education

• many primary schools were overstretched by unexpected high enrolment of students following the introduction of universal free primary education.

• The number of primary school students has risen from 5million to more than 8million since the program was launched

• from an average of 40 pupils to 120 (bbc.com)

• GDP per capita is $875 per year ($73 per month)