Title

British Administration and the Chiefs' Tyranny in Early Colonial Kenya: A Case Study of the First Generation of Chiefs from Kiambu District, 1895—1920

School/Department

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Publication Date

7-6-2009

Abstract

This article argues that the chiefs' tyranny in early colonial Kenya had its roots in the British administrative style since the Government needed strong-handed local leaders to enforce its unpopular laws and regulations. That was why the chiefs got away with their tyranny because the Government condoned it to a certain extent. They also got away with it because of the alien nature of their positions, their duties and their people inadvertently condoning it. The first generation of chiefs from Kiambu district is used as a case study to illustrate what was happening in the colony during the period under study.

Keywords

Administration; Chiefs; Collaboration; Colonialism; Kenya; Tyranny

Publication Title

Journal of Asian and African Studies

Volume

44

Issue

4

First Page

371

Last Page

388

DOI of Published Version

10.1177/0021909609105090

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