White Highlands
Encyclopedia
The term White Highlands describes an area in the central uplands of Kenya
, so-called because, during the period of British Colonialism
, white immigrants settled there in considerable numbers. The main motivation was to take advantage of the good soils and growing conditions, as well as the cool climate. The British East Africa colony, founded in 1905, encouraged British immigration. By the time the Kenya Colony came into being in 1920, about 10,000 British had settled in the area. Settlers got 999 year leases over about 25% of the good land in Kenya. The original occupants of the land were predominantly from the Kalenjin, Maasai and Kikuyu tribes. Later, the Kikuyu and allied tribes, the Embu and Meru, collectively known as G.e.m.a., mounted a bloody campaign against the British occupation of their land in central Kenya in an uprising known as the Mau Mau.
The Maasai tribe who are pastoralists, found the amount of grazing land considerably reduced as the white highlands expanded to affect them as well.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, so-called because, during the period of British Colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, white immigrants settled there in considerable numbers. The main motivation was to take advantage of the good soils and growing conditions, as well as the cool climate. The British East Africa colony, founded in 1905, encouraged British immigration. By the time the Kenya Colony came into being in 1920, about 10,000 British had settled in the area. Settlers got 999 year leases over about 25% of the good land in Kenya. The original occupants of the land were predominantly from the Kalenjin, Maasai and Kikuyu tribes. Later, the Kikuyu and allied tribes, the Embu and Meru, collectively known as G.e.m.a., mounted a bloody campaign against the British occupation of their land in central Kenya in an uprising known as the Mau Mau.
The Maasai tribe who are pastoralists, found the amount of grazing land considerably reduced as the white highlands expanded to affect them as well.