This initial chapter will set the stage. By making explicit the conditions and process of consensual decolonization it will establish a context, within which the study will focus on two aspects of Kenya decolonization. While the study will not ‘prove’ this prefiguration of a decolonization model, these initial generalizations will aid in establishing the importance and relevance of the processes of adaptation and bargaining to be studied. Toward this objective, the chapter will define the relevant terms, discuss the conditions and process of consensual decolonization, and introduce the salient feature and issue of the Kenyan case – elite adaptation, and the bargaining and resolution of the land question.

SOME DEFINITIONS

Decolonization, as generally understood, means the transfer of political authority from a colonial state to indigenous leaders within the framework of state sovereignty.