ABSTRACT
When Kenya was incorporated into the expanding British Empire,1 it became another nodal point on an international network that encompassed a diverse array of territories across the globe. The network connexions became common routes for the transfer of commodities, goods, services and peoples. Along these routes, trade was undertaken mainly with the mother country (or with other colonies) and peoples were moved either voluntarily to administer/settle the colonial outposts or by force to provide cheap and reliable labour. Thus, empire became a means of disseminating institutions, language, culture and religion. Legislation passed in Westminster furnished the British with the authority to rule over foreign territories and consolidated this vast network, in some cases disregarding almost entirely those subject to such rule, and leaving in its trail an enduring legacy. However, not only did Britain have a lasting impact upon the countries and people that she colonized, the empire itself had a signifi cant impact upon Britain and her people too and its legacy continues to be a contentious subject for historians (Ferguson 2003, 371). Although often portrayed as ‘ruthless and rapacious’ and the root of much racism and xenophobia, there remain those that support the altruistic argument, that ‘Britain’s empire was a moral force and one for the good’ (James 1998, 638).
