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Quiz about Kenya The Road to Independence 10
Quiz about Kenya The Road to Independence 10

Kenya: The Road to Independence 1.0 Quiz


A quiz on early Kenyan history from colonialism to early nationalism.

A multiple-choice quiz by stuthehistoryguy. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
325,781
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
478
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 98 (3/10), Guest 71 (9/10), ZWOZZE (0/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The history of Kenya as a political entity can be traced to the "Scramble for Africa" following the 1885 Congress of Berlin. Its present-day borders were first mapped out as a protectorate called British East Africa. When was this territory proclaimed? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Prior to colonization - and in the initial phases of British involvement - Kenya's most important cities by far were her well-developed ports, including Kipini, Malindi, Kilifi, and especially Mombasa. In the first decade of the twentieth century, however, the interior city of Nairobi became increasingly important, eventually becoming the capital and assuming a primary role in the colony's political and cultural life. Which of these was most important in Nairobi's development? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A major thrust of European incursion into Africa was Christian evangelism. Which of the following statements about Christianity in Kenya is generally accepted by historians? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, the only certainties in life are death and taxes, and the story of Britain's activities in Kenya is rife with both. Beginning in 1901, what tax in particular played a major role in transforming traditional Kenyan society? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The British gradually instituted European control over agricultural production in Kenya, relegating the Africans to "reserves" according to ethnicity, the most hospitable land going to immigrants from Europe. What area came to be known as the "heart" of European settlement? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Europeans were not the only immigrants to Kenya from the British Empire. Tens of thousands of indentured servants from elsewhere were brought in to work on railway projects, and over time they became a political force to be reckoned with. From where did the majority of these workers come? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. European battles over territory came to British East Africa in World War I, with the British ending the conflict with possession of neighboring Tanganyika, previously a German possession and now known as Tanzania. This war saw Africans enlisted as Carrier Corps, providing what we today would call logistical support. Approximately how many Kenyans were killed fighting for the British in World War I? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. As in many colonial administrations, the British in Kenya instituted a set of pass laws in 1921 that required every African man to register, be fingerprinted, and carry his registration with him at all times (usually in a metal box around his neck). What was the name of this system? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. One of the most influential early nationalist movements in Kenyan history was founded in 1921. Originally named the Young Kikuyu Association (after the nationality that a plurality of Kenyans belonged to), this activist organization was quickly renamed to the more inclusive East African Association (EAA). Who was the influential leader that took the helm of this group? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Undeniably the most important figure in Kenya's independence movement was Jomo Kenyatta, who established the Kikuyu-language "Muigwithania" ("The Unifier") in 1928 and was dispatched by the Kikuyu Central Association (the successor to the banned EAA) to Britain in 1929. Ironically, though a great speaker, Kenyatta was nearly illiterate and delegated most of the writing for the group to others.



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The history of Kenya as a political entity can be traced to the "Scramble for Africa" following the 1885 Congress of Berlin. Its present-day borders were first mapped out as a protectorate called British East Africa. When was this territory proclaimed?

Answer: 1895

At the time of its delineation, British East Africa was of secondary importance to the British Empire; its main utility was to provide security for the more highly-valued operations in the Nile valley and Uganda. As time went by, the territory would become one of the Empire's most prized territories with ever-increasing immigration from the British upper classes.
2. Prior to colonization - and in the initial phases of British involvement - Kenya's most important cities by far were her well-developed ports, including Kipini, Malindi, Kilifi, and especially Mombasa. In the first decade of the twentieth century, however, the interior city of Nairobi became increasingly important, eventually becoming the capital and assuming a primary role in the colony's political and cultural life. Which of these was most important in Nairobi's development?

Answer: The Uganda Railway

The Uganda Railway connected Kisumu on Lake Victoria (the source of the White Nile River and an important juncture on the nascent railway between Egypt and the Cape of Good Hope) with Mombasa. Nairobi was located roughly equidistant from the two, and became the Railway's main supply depot and headquarters. Between 1902 and 1940, numerous feeder lines were built throughout the country, mostly through territory that would come to be dominated by European immigrants.
3. A major thrust of European incursion into Africa was Christian evangelism. Which of the following statements about Christianity in Kenya is generally accepted by historians?

Answer: The first schools were established by Christian missionaries, and most early Kenyan leaders were educated in Christian schools.

The offer of education was a major appeal of Christianity, and Kenya's first generations of national leaders were largely products of mission schools. Since independence, a majority of Kenyans have indeed remained Christian, though the church structures are largely independent of their European forebears. Though missionaries did, by and large, attempt to improve the lot of local people, they have been largely criticized by historians for remaining silent on the frankly exploitive practices of European governments during the colonial period. Finally, the Masai remain one of the least Christian of Kenya's ethnicities, while the Kikuyu have historically been very amenable to conversion.
4. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, the only certainties in life are death and taxes, and the story of Britain's activities in Kenya is rife with both. Beginning in 1901, what tax in particular played a major role in transforming traditional Kenyan society?

Answer: The Hut Tax

Prior to colonization, most Kenyan families lived lives of self-sufficient sustainability, meeting basic needs mostly through small-scale agriculture and what we may call cottage industry. The Hut Tax effectively forced Africans into the wage labor force, a sphere utterly dominated by British settlers. Pay was low, and most jobs were contingent on a contract that bound the worker in a remarkably unequal relationship to the employer.

These contracts could be--and were--enforced by law, with penalties that included whippings.

In essence, the Hut Tax was instrumental in effectively creating a contractual form of slavery in Kenya. (For the record, the Tea Tax was an aggravating condition in the revolts against British rule in what is now the United States; the Salt Tax played a similar role in Indian independence.)
5. The British gradually instituted European control over agricultural production in Kenya, relegating the Africans to "reserves" according to ethnicity, the most hospitable land going to immigrants from Europe. What area came to be known as the "heart" of European settlement?

Answer: The White Highlands

Now would be a good time for Quizzyland to allow the inclusion of maps :) The White Highlands stretch roughly from Uganda to Nairobi, extending through the ranges to the north to include Thompson's Falls and Kitale, as well as the outlying areas. British settlers in this territory (or, more accurately, Africans working for British settlers) grew what came to be Kenya's most valuable exports, including coffee, sisal, and corn (maize).
6. Europeans were not the only immigrants to Kenya from the British Empire. Tens of thousands of indentured servants from elsewhere were brought in to work on railway projects, and over time they became a political force to be reckoned with. From where did the majority of these workers come?

Answer: India and Pakistan

Perhaps ironically, the Kenyan rallying cry of "Harambee" (pull together) comes from the Hindi/Urdu call of South Asian workers working together to move stuck railway cars that Jomo Kenyatta heard so many times during his youth. Today, over 100,000 Kenyans of South Asian descent still live in the country.
7. European battles over territory came to British East Africa in World War I, with the British ending the conflict with possession of neighboring Tanganyika, previously a German possession and now known as Tanzania. This war saw Africans enlisted as Carrier Corps, providing what we today would call logistical support. Approximately how many Kenyans were killed fighting for the British in World War I?

Answer: 24,000

In "Kenya: From Colonization to Independence, 1888-1970", R. Mugo Gatheru gives the number as 23,869. In addition, of the approximately 163,000 Africans who served in the Carrier Corps, about 124,000 were said to have died of influenza. Gatheru does not speculate on whether this was caused by wartime conditions or by the general Spanish Flu epidemic that swept the Earth at the end of the Great War.
8. As in many colonial administrations, the British in Kenya instituted a set of pass laws in 1921 that required every African man to register, be fingerprinted, and carry his registration with him at all times (usually in a metal box around his neck). What was the name of this system?

Answer: Kipande

These laws ostensibly ensured the fulfillment of labor contracts and assisted in law enforcement. However, the enforcement of Kipande laws was so onerous (Kenya averaged 3,000 Kipande arrests per year from 1921 to 1938) as to create a police state in the country. Anglican Archdeacon W. E. Owen would understatedly portray this situation as "really rather a disgrace to our Empire."
9. One of the most influential early nationalist movements in Kenyan history was founded in 1921. Originally named the Young Kikuyu Association (after the nationality that a plurality of Kenyans belonged to), this activist organization was quickly renamed to the more inclusive East African Association (EAA). Who was the influential leader that took the helm of this group?

Answer: Harry Thuku

The primary goals of the East African Association (which dovetailed with the ideology of its founder, often referred to as "Thukuism") included an end to forced African labor, the repatriation of land that had been taken for British settlers, an end to the Kipande system of forced registration, and far-reaching tax reforms.

In response to the challenge, the British administration arrested Thuku and other EAA leaders in 1922. This led to violent demonstrations in Nairobi which left between 25 (the British estimate) and 200 (the EAA estimate) Africans dead. Ironically, by the time Thuku was released in 1930, his initial goals were thought too moderate, and he failed to regain the leadership of Kenya's national movement.
10. Undeniably the most important figure in Kenya's independence movement was Jomo Kenyatta, who established the Kikuyu-language "Muigwithania" ("The Unifier") in 1928 and was dispatched by the Kikuyu Central Association (the successor to the banned EAA) to Britain in 1929. Ironically, though a great speaker, Kenyatta was nearly illiterate and delegated most of the writing for the group to others.

Answer: False

Far from it! Educated at British mission schools at Fort Hall and, later, at the University of London, Kenyatta was an eloquent author. He wrote most of the articles in the monthly "Muigwithania", and in 1938, with the sponsorship of the great anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, published "Facing Mount Kenya", which remains one of the seminal works on traditional African society.
Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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