1. The reasons for the failure of East African federation were both internal and external. 2. Uganda and Tanganyika strongly opposed the idea. They feared to be turned into white settlers’ colonies. 3. The Baganda in Uganda also feared that the federation would undermine their privileged position. They looked at the federation as an arrangement that would block their social and political progress. 4. The East African states all along wanted independence. They feared that if they went into a federation their quest for freedom would be shattered. 5. The Africans also feared the white domination over them incase the federation was formed. 6. There was yet another fear that Tanganyika would return to the Germans because there were still some few Germans in Tanganyika and they were still a very big threat. 7. The new British Governor in Tanganyika, Sir Donald Cameroon also opposed the idea greatly. 8. There was a fear that business in East Africa would be dominated by the White settlers if the federation was achieved. 9. At independence the federation would still be impossible because each of the three East African countries took different ideology. For example, Kenya took capitalist ideology while Tanganyika went in for socialist policy. 10. The Africans had calculated and found out that the idea would benefit the British government, so they rejected out rightly. 11. The Africans in Kenya discovered that the union would interfere with their representation in the Legislative council. 12. The idea of a federation had its origin from outside East Africa thus the Africans rejected it in totality. 13. Africans had already made drastic steps in influencing politics in their respective countries thus the union would be an interruption to their progress so far made. 14. Lord Delamare the major advocate for white settlers had passed away in 1931 and, therefore the idea lacked a figure head to follow it critically. 15. The bodies that had been put in place did not recommend that federation was practical in East Africa, for example the L.S Ormsby and Hilton Young Commissions. 16. The British government itself never wanted to put in danger its responsibility to the League of Nations as she was charged with responsibility of looking after East African territories. 17. East Africa was also hit by the economic depression of 1931, so she was looking for ways of recovering. 18. East African countries had different arrangement in leadership, Uganda was a protectorate, Kenya was a settler colony and Tanganyika was a mandated territory under the League of Nations.
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