 He sought Colonial Office approval to extend its use to unpaid work on road building projects, often taking workers far from their homes.This was similar to the proposed use of forced labour in Kenya where the governor Sir Edward Northey had caused a scandal with his 1919 instruction to government officials to coerce African labour to work on European-owned farms and estates, despite earlier Colonial Office objections.The Colonial Secretary, Leo Amery, who wanted to avoid a repeat of the Northey scandal, vetoed the proposal and, in 1928, instructed Bowring to consider the introduction of a form of Indirect rule in Nyasaland, appointing chiefs as Native Authorities.