Colonial Articulation of Pre-capitalist Modes of Production among Agikuyu of Central Kenya, 1895-1963
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This research article examined colonial restructuring of pre-capitalist modes of production among Agikuyu of central Kenya at the height of colonial hegemony, 1895-1963. It was grounded in the articulation modes of production theory, which reinforces that British Imperialism among Agikuyu in Central Kenya altered their pre-colonial production system but did not eliminate it. These indigenous economic systems were reconfigured and realigned with capital accumulation within the British Empire and the global value chain. In a broad spectrum, this article addressed the following thematic areas: it assessed pre-colonial Agikuyu production systems, evaluated colonial articulation practices and examined socio-economic implications. A historical research design was useful in the collection, analysis and presentation of qualitative data. Secondary data was collected and analysed through thematic analysis. It was established that land dispossession, colonial tax regime, labour patterns and settler farming transfigured indigenous production systems. Even so, it sustained subsistence structures which enhanced labour reproduction in African reserves. This resulted in a dual economic system characterised by structural inequality and lasting agrarian revolutions
Institutions: Kenya Assemblies of God EAST University, Kibabii University
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204455063