Even before 1895, however, Britain's presence in Kenya was marked by dispossession and violence. In 1894, British MP Sir Charles Dilke had observed in the House of Commons, "The only person who has up to the present time benefited from our enterprise in the heart of Africa has been Mr. Hiram Maxim" (inventor of the Maxim gun, the first automatic machine gun)..You can read Dilke's speech in full here: During the period in which Kenya's interior was being forcibly opened up for British settlement, there was a great deal of conflict and British troops carried out atrocities against the native population.. Francis Hall, an officer in the Imperial British East Africa Company and after whom Fort Hall was named, asserted: "There is only one way to improve the Wakikuyu [and] that is wipe them out; I should be only too delighted to do so, but we have to depend on them for food supplies." Richard Meinertzhagen wrote of how, on occasion, they massacred Kikuyu by the hundreds.
even before 1895 however britain's presence in kenya was marked by dispossession and violence in 1894 british mp sir charles dilke had observed in the house of commons "the only person who has up to the present time benefited from our enterprise in the heart of africa has been mr hiram maxim" (inventor of the maxim gun the first automatic machine gun)you can read dilke's speech in full here during the period in which kenya's interior was being forcibly opened up for british settlement there was a great deal of conflict and british troops carried out atrocities against the native population francis hall an officer in the imperial british east africa company and after whom fort hall was named asserted "there is only one way to improve the wakikuyu [and] that is wipe them out; i should be only too delighted to do so but we have to depend on them for food supplies" richard meinertzhagen wrote of how on occasion they massacred kikuyu by the hundreds