Why did the Maasai initially cooperate with British authorities?

The Maasai did not resist British authority during the early colonial period primarily because they had been severely weakened by a series of catastrophes at the end of the 19th century.12

Their society suffered devastating losses from outbreaks of smallpox and cattle diseases, such as rinderpest or pleuropneumonia, which decimated their herds and population. Furthermore, the death of their great leader, the laibon Mbatian, caused the group to fracture into warring factions, leaving them unable to mount an effective defense against the arrival of European traders and administrators.3

Due to this state of vulnerability, the Maasai offered no resistance to the British and even served in the military during British campaigns against other groups, such as the Kikuyu.12