Frying chicken in oil or animal fat was invented by the Scottish. The African version added spicing but the pieces were not immersed. With the two preperations combined it is actually a Scottish in African preparation. Here’s the article...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_chicken
Stews, rather than frying, are the typical African preparation, because the available fuels and technology in Africa did not produce a fire hot enough to boil fat. Frying - using a stove to generate a higher temperature - caught on in the South because it was a quick way to cook in hot weather.