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Simon Rutabajuka’s paper examines the socio-economic conditions of migrant labourers in Masaka District, Uganda, between 1900 and 1962, focusing on those employed on coffee shambas during the colonial period. It argues that colonial capitalism deliberately relied on migrant labour rather than permanent wage workers to maintain a cheap, politically manageable workforce. Migrant labourers—mainly from Uganda’s northern and western regions, as well as neighboring territories like Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Tanganyika—were drawn into wage employment through coercive mechanisms such as taxation, forced labour systems like kasanvu and luwalo, and the commoditization of African economies. These workers endured harsh conditions: long journeys on foot, inadequate shelter, poor nutrition, lack of medical care, and exploitative labour arrangements like the kipande system, which paid them bachelor wages and denied them family support. Despite their vulnerability, migrant labourers resisted exploitation through desertion, sabotage, and occasional collective action, though their scattered employment limited sustained organization. The paper also highlights how colonial authorities resisted the formation of a permanent working class, fearing political consciousness and unrest. Migrant labourers played a significant role in broader nationalist movements, including the 1945 and 1949 strikes and disturbances, which reflected growing discontent with colonial rule and the exploitative labour system. Ultimately, the study underscores how colonial labour policies shaped Uganda’s socio-economic landscape and the enduring legacy of migrant labour exploitation.
Simon Rutabajuka’s paper examines the socio-economic conditions of migrant labourers in Masaka District, Uganda, between 1900 and 1962, focusing on those employed on coffee shambas during the colonial period. It argues that colonial capitalism deliberately relied on migrant labour rather than permanent wage workers to maintain a cheap, politically manageable workforce. Migrant labourers—mainly from Uganda’s northern and western regions, as well as neighboring territories like Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Tanganyika—were drawn into wage employment through coercive mechanisms such as taxation, forced labour systems like kasanvu and luwalo, and the commoditization of African economies. These workers endured harsh conditions: long journeys on foot, inadequate shelter, poor nutrition, lack of medical care, and exploitative labour arrangements like the kipande system, which paid them bachelor wages and denied them family support. Despite their vulnerability, migrant labourers resisted exploitation through desertion, sabotage, and occasional collective action, though their scattered employment limited sustained organization. The paper also highlights how colonial authorities resisted the formation of a permanent working class, fearing political consciousness and unrest. Migrant labourers played a significant role in broader nationalist movements, including the 1945 and 1949 strikes and disturbances, which reflected growing discontent with colonial rule and the exploitative labour system. Ultimately, the study underscores how colonial labour policies shaped Uganda’s socio-economic landscape and the enduring legacy of migrant labour exploitation.
