Our Kenya

The 1923 Devonshire Declaration

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The Devonshire Declaration (also called the Devonshire White Paper) was issued by the British Colonial Office in 1923. It stated that "the interests of the African natives must be paramount" in Kenya, blocking settler ambitions for dominion status or responsible government (self-rule) similar to that achieved by white settler colonies in Southern Africa. The declaration represented a turning point in Kenya's colonial political trajectory, even though its practical effect was limited.

Historical Context

In the early 1920s, European settlers in Kenya lobbied intensively for "responsible government" (settler self-governance). The settlers sought arrangements similar to those granted to South Africa, Rhodesia, and other white settler colonies, where the white minority would control colonial government and policy.

Lord Delamere and other settler leaders argued that they had pioneered Kenya, invested capital, and developed the territory. They believed they deserved political power commensurate with their economic contribution. They sought elected representation and eventually full control of colonial legislation and administration.

The Colonial Office in London was divided. Some officials sympathized with settler ambitions. Others were concerned about the precedent of minority rule and about implications for African populations. The Indian community in Kenya also lobbied against settler dominance, seeking representation and protection of their interests.

By 1923, the Colonial Office under Colonial Secretary the Duke of Devonshire felt compelled to make an official statement clarifying British policy on Kenya's future governance.

The Declaration's Text and Meaning

The Devonshire Declaration stated:

"Primarily, Kenya is an African territory. His Majesty's Government think it necessary definitely to record their considered opinion that the interests of the African natives must be paramount and that if, and when, those interests and the interests of the immigrant races should conflict, the former should prevail."

This language represented several key points:

  1. African Primacy: Kenya was fundamentally an African territory, not a European settler colony.

  2. African Interests Paramount: When African interests and settler interests conflicted, African interests should prevail.

  3. Rejection of Dominion Status: The declaration implicitly rejected settler demands for responsible government. If African interests were paramount, settlers could not have unilateral control.

  4. Limited Settler Representation: The declaration supported limited settler participation in colonial governance, but not dominance.

Implications and Limitations

The Devonshire Declaration was significant as a statement of principle, but its practical effect was limited:

  1. Principle Without Implementation: The declaration asserted that African interests were paramount, but it did not provide mechanisms to enforce this principle or to make African interests genuinely paramount in colonial decision-making.

  2. Continued Settler Power: In practice, settlers continued to exercise substantial influence over colonial policy. The colonial administration continued to support settler land alienation, labor control, and economic dominance.

  3. No African Political Power: The declaration did not grant Africans political representation or power. Africans had no elected representation on the Legislative Council until 1944 (Eliud Mathu, appointed). The first African elected representative was not elected until much later.

  4. Continued Land Alienation: The White Highlands system continued after the Devonshire Declaration. Land alienation from African communities continued.

  5. Continued Labor Exploitation: The squatter system and other mechanisms of labor control continued after the declaration.

The declaration was thus a statement of principle that was not backed by implementation or enforcement.

Settler Reaction

Settlers were disappointed and angry at the Devonshire Declaration. They had lobbied for dominion status and had hoped for a positive response. The declaration was seen as a betrayal of settler interests and as a constraint on settler ambitions.

However, settlers recognized that the declaration, while constraining, did not immediately change the colonial administration's actual practices. The declaration asserted African interests were paramount, but the administration continued settler-favorable policies.

Settlers also noted that "paramount" interests did not mean exclusive interests. The declaration could be interpreted as allowing settler participation and representation, as long as it was subordinate to ultimate African primacy.

Long-Term Significance

The Devonshire Declaration was historically significant for several reasons:

  1. Blocked Dominion Path: It prevented Kenya from following the Rhodesian or South African path toward white minority self-government. Kenya's trajectory toward independence was shaped partly by the declaration's assertion that the colony was fundamentally African.

  2. Articulated British Policy: It clarified that Britain's policy was not to establish settler dominance in Kenya, even if Britain allowed substantial settler influence in practice.

  3. Provided Ideological Ground for African Nationalism: The declaration provided an ideological resource for African nationalists. Africans could point to the declaration to argue that they had been promised paramountcy and that British policy bound the mother country to support African interests.

  4. Exposed Gap Between Principle and Practice: The gap between the declaration's assertion of African primacy and the actual practices of settler dominance highlighted the contradictions of British colonialism.

Relationship to Independence

The Devonshire Declaration influenced Kenya's path to independence, though not deterministically. The assertion that Kenya was African and that African interests were paramount provided ideological justification for decolonization.

When nationalist movements emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s, they could invoke the Devonshire Declaration to argue that Britain had always intended Kenya to be an African territory and that the time had come for actual African self-government.

The Declaration did not prevent the Mau Mau Uprising or the Emergency. The uprising emerged from concrete grievances about land and labor. However, the declaration's language about African primacy provided a framework that eventually supported the transition to African independence.

See Also

Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonshire_White_Paper
  2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Devonshire-White-Paper
  3. https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/the-devonshire-white-paper-kenya-s-colonial-saving-grace-2149540
  4. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/history-in-africa/article/abs/devonshire-declaration-the-myth-of-missionary-intervention/DCD46CF58E46F633501A949A5F07F9AB
  5. https://www.icwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/DER-18.pdf

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