Features of the Colonial Economy in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)

The colonial economy in East Africa was structured to serve European interests through seven defining features:

1. Export Orientation: Cash crops (coffee, tea, cotton) for European markets; food crops neglected, creating import dependency.
2. Foreign Control: European settlers and companies owned plantations, mines, industries; Africans relegated to subsistence or low-wage labor.
3. Resource Exploitation: Minerals, timber, wildlife extracted for colonial benefit, causing environmental degradation.
4. Migrant Labor System: Africans recruited (often forcibly) from rural areas for plantations/mines; poor conditions, low wages.
5. Infrastructure Underdevelopment: Minimal investment in roads, railways, schools, hospitals—hampering development.
6. Dual Economies: Modern sector (European-owned) vs. traditional subsistence sector (African smallholders).
7. Discriminatory Policies: Laws restricted African land ownership, credit, education, political participation; favored settlers.