Kenya underwent changes after being colonized by Europeans. The British would force their beliefs and ideas of a more “civilized” lifestyle on the native people of Africa. Imperialism also had many negative effects on the people of Kenya, because they were forced to follow the policies of the Europeans who controlled and regulated them. The indigenous people of Africa were continuously oppressed. Colonialism affected Kenya politically, socially and economically.

Colonialism changed politics for everyone living there.

The population of Kenya contained a large amount of different ethnic groups all living together under British rule, and only 3 percent of Kenya’s population was non-African. A policy of indirect rule was used in Africa by the British. The British ruled Kenya through a native authority. Imperialism forced the natives to change their way of government, as they took their land without granting them any say or choice. European influence affected Kenya even after they achieved their independence as Kenyatta became the first president of independent Kenya.

Kenya experienced economic growth throughout colonial rule.

The amount of post offices and railroads increased greatly over the years. This helped it to develop further. Though Kenya had some economic benefits, from the perspective of the indigenous people, they still faced negative consequences as the economic growth gained was at the expense of the native populations. Africans had to endure harsh labor systems, racism and oppression. The average earnings of Africans in both agriculture and public services were significantly lower than those of the Europeans and Asians. Colonial rule put Kenya through a lot of racism and oppression.

The influences of colonialism had many social effects.

From the perspective of westernized Africans, colonialism was a good thing because it eliminated slavery, human sacrifice and other traditions that they considered uncivilized. African traditions and practices, such as witchcraft, differed from that of Christianity. The religion and lifestyle of Africans was altered as native beliefs eventually faded, and the Roman Catholic and Protestant religions became widespread. The racist views of the Europeans influenced African society as it stripped them of many rights, such as unequal educational opportunities.

Education was not compulsory for Africans and Arabs, and their school systems were lacking compared to those of Europeans and Asians. There was not an adequate amount of information on how colonial rule influenced the people attending the schools personally, which brought in the need for an additional document from the perspective of a student or teacher in an African school compared to a teacher in the European schools.

The political, social and economic effects of colonialism vary. From the viewpoint of the indigenous peoples of Kenya, there were countless negative effects as they had their social traditions and cultures stripped away and had to undergo a lot of racism. British influences reshaped African society and changed the entire lifestyle of Kenya.