Methods used to establish colonial rule in East Africa.
After the partition and scramble for East Africa, the British and Germans used various methods in East Africa. However, these methods varied from place to place and from time to time as follows:
1 The European colonialists used Christian missionaries who paved the way for colonisation by preaching the message of love and brotherhood which convinced the African that it was a sin to fight against the Europeans.
2 The signing of treaties and agreements with African chiefs was another method used by Europeans to colonise East Africa for example the 1900 Buganda agreement, the Masai agreement of 1804, and several other agreements. These assisted the British to establish their rule.
3 They used African collaborators and opportunists to conquer and annex areas that were resistant to colonialists’ rule for example Apollo Kagwa and Semei Kakungulu.
4 The use of explorers or adventurers for example Speke and Stanley who gave exaggerated reports to their home governments based on lakes, minerals climate and mountains, which later attracted colonialists.
5 Colonialists used the method of divide and rule for example by introducing different religions such as Catholics, Protestants and Moslems etc. This created disunity against the enemy.
6 The European colonialists also used the European settlers for example in the Kenya highlands. These settlers introduced agriculture, which generated funds for their colonial governments.
7 They built communication lines for example the Uganda Railway which facilitated the movement of the British troops from the coast to the interior. These were later used to put down rebellions.
8 They used bribery to make the chiefs and kings of East Africa convinced toward their colonial policies.
9 The colonialists used the army of occupation to establish their rule in East Africa. This was effective in the areas of Bunyoro where the British used the army of occupation. In other words they used military confrontations for example Kabalega of Bunyoro was attacked by the army and the Germans attacked the Hehe.
10 They built administrative posts and forts for defensive purposes against African resistors.
11 They used chartered companies to establish colonial rule in East Africa for example IBEACO.
12 The European colonialists also used gifts to the African leaders like chiefs and kings to persuade their people to accept colonialism.
13 They used force to suppress resistance all of which maintained law and order.
Author Name
Author Description!
Get Free Email Updates to your Inbox!
Chapisha Maoni