The Role Of Colonialism In Worries Of The Heart By Kenda Mutongi

Colonialism means control by one country over another area and its people. Western Kenya would be politically and economically exploited by Britain. In 1895, Britain colonized western Kenya. British would rule western Kenya would last until 1963. This exact scenario takes place in the book, Worries of the Heart by Kenda Mutongi. In the book, Mutongi talks about western Kenya’s history during the 20th century. One of the major themes that Mutongi discusses is colonialism. Mutongi discusses colonialism in the book because colonialism is a changing point in western Kenya. Colonialism in western Kenya represents a sample of what colonialism was in 20th century Africa. Mutongi’s case studies of Christian missionaries, gold mining, and land conflicts among Kenyans in western Kenya brought insight about colonialism in twentieth-century Africa. During the 20th century, missionaries helped Christianity spread in western Kenya. The spread of Christianity would unravel the intentions missionaries had in Africa. Willis …show more content…
One of the injustices that Kenyans faced was land litigation. Before the colonial occupation of the African courts, a local council of village elders was present in the African courts. In 1930, government officials passed the “Native Land Trust Ordinance, which stipulated that no European could occupy land that was currently owned by Kenyans.” (p. 83). That ordinance would be violated as compensation of equal land for Africans would turn into cash. The cash would be pointless as there was no land to purchase any more. Africans rights were continuously being violated. This change and many others in the government put Kenyans in a confusing situation. According to Mutongi, “[Kenyans] dealing with the new-fangled legal bureaucracy that they could not understand or trust.” (p. 94). Europeans have now implementing a bureaucratic system. This new bureaucratic system, as well as colonialism, confused Kenyan citizens more than