Many different tribal communities inhabited Kenya during its pre-colonial period. There are about 42 different tribes in Kenya today, all of which are different from each other (“Safari in Africa”). The Agikuyu and Miji Kenda were farmers, the Maasai and Samburu lived on livestock, and the majority like the Luo and Abagusii practiced a mixture of agricultural cultivation and pastoral work. Subsistence production was the norm and manual labor came from within the family. Classes were mostly non-existent and poverty was also not a problem as reciprocity was widely practiced. the communities were mostly good as they traded, intermarried, and experienced limited and sporadic conflict (Ndege first appeared in Kenya with the constant visits of Arab traders who eventually established Arab and Persian settlements ("A. Brief History") The Portuguese who later held their own colonies in what is now Kenya were defeated by the Ottoman Arabs, who were eventually subdued by the growth of the British and Germans. constant power in the region was due to competition in the slave trade. However, as in the rest of Africa, the official start of colonialism in Kenya began with the Berlin Conference of 1884/85. Anglo-German of 1886 and the agreements reached at the Berlin Conference, Britain established a protectorate over Kenya. Kenya's borders were demarcated without consultation with the tribal groups and communities that inhabited the region. With the new borders, Britain brought together more than forty formerly autonomous communities into a single territorial country (Ndege). These borders were responsible for the separation of tribes and communities, like the Maas...... middle of paper ...... unfortunately, we can't really answer because we don't see what these countries would look like if colonialism was never part of it. of their history.Works Cited "A Brief History of Kenya | Republic of Kenya | The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya." A Brief History of Kenya | Republic of Kenya | The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya. Np, and Web. February 19, 2014. Harris, Richard L. The Political Economy of Africa. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Pub., 1975. “Constitution of Kenya” in print. Early History of Kenya. Np, and Web. February 20, 2014. “Kenya Profile.” BBC News. BBC, October 9, 2013. Web. February 20, 2014. Ndege, Peter O. “Colonialism and its legacies in Kenya”. Conference. Fulbright – Hays Group Overseas Project Program. Web. “New Stories.” New stories. Np, and Web. February 20, 2014. “Safari in Africa with Shadows Of Africa. » Shadows of Africa. Np, and Web. February 19. 2014.