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By this time the white settlers had begun to experience difficulties with Indians and natives alike. At Nairobi, the new capital in the highlands, Indian traders, small and great, were competing with the Euro peans, and elsewhere Indians obtained much of the trade with the natives. The settlers in the highlands engaged in stock-raising and grew coffee, maize, wheat, barley, flax and vegetables. In the lowlands sisal, tobacco and coconut plantations were started. Here, however, the white man was present only as overseer. The settlers were dependent for manual labour on the natives. The bulk of the farm work in the highlands was done by the Kikuyu, a people with a natural aptitude for agriculture. Most of the white farmers treated the native labourer with consideration, and in general, the native, at his unaccustomed work, did good service. Many natives, however, preferred to remain in their reserves, which the Govern ment began to encourage them to develop for their own advantage. Difficulties inevitably arose and were aggravated by the scarcity of labour. The administration, on behalf of the natives, enforced, as early as 1907, regulations which the white settlers regarded as irksome. Hence arose much friction. Meanwhile the Indian prob lem grew in importance; the census of 1911 showed that there were 11,886 Asiatics in the country as against 3,175 Europeans. Sir Percy Girouard (governor, 1909-12), achieved the somewhat difficult task of working harmoniously with the settlers, whose grievances then were chiefly over the delay in getting land grants, but who were already beginning to claim a share in the govern ment. Sir Percy had also the satisfaction, in 1912, of seeing the country become self-supporting. The next year (1913) was most noticeable for the acute controversy which arose over a missionary conference at Kikuyu, when the bishop of Mombasa, (Dr. W. G. Peel) officiated at a communion service in a Presby terian church at which Anglicans, Presbyterians, Wesleyans and others communicated. Apart from the theological controversy this service aroused, it served to draw attention to the fact that, up to that period, by far the greater part of the work, not only of Christianizing, but of civilizing the natives and giving them in dustrial as well as literary education, was in the hands of mis sionaries.
The World War caused a set-back in the economic conditions of the country. The majority of the white male settlers went on active service, and agriculture and stock raising suffered in consequence. Very heavy demands were also made on the natives, who had to supply carriers, transport oxen and meat to the troops. They responded well to these demands and large numbers of natives joined the combatant ranks. After the war a brief period of revival in trade was followed by a longer period of depression. Maj.-gen. Sir Edward Northey, who took over the governorship on Jan. 31, 1919, had to deal with the dif ficulties created by a period of change and strain. The white settlers were restive, the Indians were demanding political rights, the natives were in great need of careful guidance—so that on the one hand they should cultivate their reserves and on the other hand supply the labour required for public works and the farms and plantations of Europeans. A currency crisis also arose through the rise in the exchange value of the rupee—the Indian rupee being the legal currency. An ill-advised stabilization of the
rupee at 2S., in Feb. 1920, was quickly followed by the introduc tion of a coinage based on British currency. In May 1921 the shilling (divided into ioo cents) was made the standard coin.
Dissatisfaction arose also over the great difficulties encountered in carrying out a scheme launched in 1919 to establish ex-soldiers from Great Britain on the land. By 1924, however, the settle ment was, on the whole, a success. Over 700 farms out of i,000 granted to ex-combatants were being worked.
During this period of strain the change from a protectorate to a Crown colony was effected (July 1920).
The new colony was named after Mount Kenya, the most com manding natural feature of the country. The coast lands which formed part of the sultanate of Zanzibar were not annexed but became the Kenya Protectorate. In 1919 a change in the consti tution had introduced, for Europeans, an elective element in the legislative council, 11 single-member constituencies being created, with adult franchise on a residential qualification. At the same time two members were nominated to represent the Indian com munity. This discrimination against Indians was deliberate. Sir Edward Northey, the then governor, stated, in July 1919, that "though Indian interests should not be lost sight of, European interests must be paramount." Prolonged agitation followed. The Indians claimed equal rights with Europeans and a common fran chise, and they had the strong and unremitting support of the Government of India. The white settlers, to whom the develop ment of the country's resources was very largely due, vehemently contested the claims of the Indians, most of whom were clerks, mechanics, shop assistants, small traders and labourers, though they included professional men and merchants of high standing. The whites further alleged that the Indian influence on the natives was bad. At this time (1921) the white settlers numbered about
and the Indians over 23,000; in 1931, 16,812 and
White and Native Interests.—The whole question of policy came under consideration by the British Government, whose de cision was given in the Kenya White Paper of July 1923. The most significant part of this decision was that : The interests of the African natives must be paramount, and that if, and when, those interests, and the interests of the immigrant races (European and Asiatic) should conflict, the former should prevail. As in the Uganda protectorate, so in the Kenya colony, the principle of trusteeship for the natives, no less than in the mandated territory of Tanganyika, is unassailable.
In respect to the franchise the British Government decided on a communal system of representation—that is, separate electoral rolls for Europeans, Indians and Arabs. The I 1 seats on the legislative council for Europeans were retained; five seats on the council were allotted to the Indians and one seat to the Arab community, all on an elective basis; while one member was nomi nated specially to represent the natives. By means of other nominated members the Government, however, retained control of the council. The franchise apart, the British Government de cided against the segregation of Indians in townships, but the practice which had been followed of reserving land in the high lands for Europeans was maintained.