10 Facts about the Indian Diaspora in Kenya

By CDC Global – Wikimedia

10 Facts about the Indian Diaspora in Kenya

The first record of Indian diaspora in Kenya was by Vasco da in the 15^th century. He was a Portuguese explorer who travelled around Africa and India.

His first encounter with Indian traders was in 1498 in Malindi, Kenya’s north coast.

He made friends with a Gujarati in Malindi who helped him navigate his ship to Calicut, India.

The Indians traded in ceramics, beads, ambergris, resins, ivory, leopard skin, and other luxury items.

Vasco da Gama’s traded with the Indians and soon they were accountants and bankers to the Portuguese and Arabs.

In the early part of the 19th century, Indian traders were found in small numbers across various trading centres of East Africa’s coast.

They formed close ties with the Sultan of Oman and Muscat, Said bin Sultan, after the British Naval Supremacy in the Indian Ocean.

The British supported the Indian merchants along the East African coast and had favourable policies for the Indians in the region.

In 1887 the British East Africa Association was founded with its base in Bombay.

The following year it was given a royal charter, becoming the Imperial British East Africa Company and moved its base to Mombasa.

Although it was based in Africa, the company had strong Indian ties and employed guards, police officers, clerks and accountants from Bombay.

Here are more facts about the Indian Diaspora in Kenya.

1. More Indian migrants settled in Kenya after it became East Africa protectorate

A large number of Indians migrated to present-day Kenya after the creation of the East Africa Protectorate in 1895.

The Protectorate was in charge of the assets and personnel of the Imperial British East Africa Company, hence its association with the Indians.

The rupee was the currency in use for the protectorate as well as the Indian legal system by extension.

The British had hoped to make Kenya the second home for the Indians since they were largely involved in the development of the region.

Among the local Indian ethnic population, the majority of administrative roles were filled by Konkani Goans, Parsis and Gujaratis.

The ranks of the British were police, while the army mainly consisted of Punjabis.

2. Construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway saw more Indian labourers arrive

Near Mombasa, about 1899 by Wikimedia

Between 1896 and 1901, at least 32,000 indentured workers were recruited from India.

They were solely recruited to construct the Uganda railway. The construction of the railway was a remarkable engineering feat.

The construction work had its fair share of unfortunate events. About 2,500 workers lost their lives to man-eating lions from Tsavo national park.

This was approximately four deaths for each mile of track laid. After the construction of the railway was complete, some of the workers went back to India.

3. The railway opened more business opportunities

By Wikimedia

The railway opened the interior of Kenya to trade. Soon many of the Indian workers that remained, close to 7000, began migrating away from the coastal cities.

A large number of Gujaratis and Punjabis migrated freely and utilised the new economic possibilities in the Protectorate.

They went with family members, members of the same village or caste.

After settling, they set up trading posts deep in the interior and became the traders and merchants of East Africa.

4. Majority of the Indian Railway workers were eaten by Lions

Laying of the Kenya-Uganda railway came at a high human price.

Out of the 32,000 workers that came to Kenya for the construction work, 2,493 died during construction.

That was about four workers for every mile of railway line laid, while 38 died every month during the construction process.

It is believed that 35 victims were snatched off by a pair of man-eating lions in Kenya’s Tsavo.

5. The Indians also fought for labour rights

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

By the late 1950s, people of Indian descent in East Africa increased to 360,000.

This meant that they were actively involved in the regions’ development.

Most of the Indians then joined the natives in fighting for equal and favourable equal rights.

They set up newspapers pushing for greater representation in the labour force.

In Kenya Pranlal Sheth, Chanan Singh, Fitzval de Souza and Pio Gama Pinto were leaders in the journalistic campaign for independence.

6. The Indians were not recognized for their efforts in fighting for independence

Although the Indian and African nationalist politics had the same agenda, their relationship wasn’t perfect.

They both shared the same dream of independence but had a conflict due to the racial hierarchy that existed then.

This made them miss out in the historical records of Kenya and its quest for independence from the British.

7. They are a close-knit community

By Matthew T Rader – Wikimedia

According to records from a historian that visited Kenya in the 1970s, the Indian community maintained their tight relationships away from home.

This was also seen among the Europeans that lived in the East African region. Their legal status improved too.   

The Indians on the other hand were said to be cautious and self-reliant.

They retained their strong Indian ties and traditions, and are a close-knit, endogamous community.

When it comes to family business structure, the capital raised stays with the founder, this is the first generation.

The second generation, made up of sons, assume managerial and administrative positions and prepare the business for expansion.

8. Kenyan of Indian descent are the 44^th tribe

The Indian Diaspora in Kenya has had a long historical presence in Kenya.

They are actively involved in the socio-economic and political life of the country.

Despite this, Indians in Kenya have suffered from certain invisibility in the political and historical discourse of the nation.

They were recently acknowledged as the 44th tribe in the country. This was for their involvement in the nationalist uprising in Kenya.

9. They are active in Kenyan politics

For the longest time, after Pio Gama Pinto who was a journalist, politician and freedom fighter, there was no presence of the Indians in Kenyan politics.

This has however changed in the recent past with Indians actively taking part in politics.

Some notable Kenyan politicians of Indian descent include Shakeel Shabbir, MP Kisumu East.

He was the first Member of Parliament in Kenya of Asian origin.

Other active Kenyan-Indian politicians are Swarup Kiprop Mishra MP Kesses and Raheem Dawood MP North Imenti.

10. The Indians in Kenya are leading in family businesses

When Kenya gained independence in 1963, 2% of the country’s population was made up of the Indian diaspora.

They were part of the retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors and provided skilled labour.

Gujarat was among the first Indians that settled in Kenya in the 17^th century.

The start of colonial rule expanded business opportunities for Indians from other parts of the subcontinent as well.

The leading caste-based subgroups within Kenyan Hinduism include Lohanas, Lohars, Rajput, Patels and Mehtas, among others.

Their largest concentration is in Nairobi city where mandirs can be found in most neighbourhoods.

Another large community are Muslims; the majority being Sunni Muslims, however, there is a significant Shia minority, including Ismailis, Bohras and Ithnā’ashariyyah.

There are also considerable communities of Sikhs and Jains, and smaller numbers of Roman Catholics.