Indians in Kenya
Encyclopedia
There are currently over 100,000 Indians in Kenya
, most living in the major urban areas of Nairobi
and Mombasa
with others living in rural areas. Most are Hindu
s and with some Muslim
s, often with their own businesses and places of worship. South Asians were originally brought over to cut sugar cane or construct the railways.
Indian temples and mosques can be found all over the country.
Indentured labour from Britain's Indian empire
was brought to Kenya to construct the Kenya-Uganda Railway. Subsequently, the railway brought Indians engaged in trade from the coastal cities into the interior. By the 1920s, there was a sizable Indian population who demanded a role in the developing political life of the Kenya Colony
.
Racial hostilities arose with the establishment of the colony of Kenya in 1920. The Indians, enjoying a greater economic strength, were the more adamant. As early as 1920, they turned down the offer of two seats on the legislative council since this was not representative of the size of their community. Tensions remained high until 1927 when the Indians won the right to five seats on the council, compared to eleven reserved for the Europeans.
due to discriminatory practices by the ruling government. Since that time relations have improved slowly.
Today, the Indian community in Kenya is estimated at over 100,000 and is dispersed throughout the country. Despite varying degrees of acculturation, most have retained their strong Indian ties and traditions, and are a close-knit, endogamous
community.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, most living in the major urban areas of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
and Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
with others living in rural areas. Most are Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s and with some Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, often with their own businesses and places of worship. South Asians were originally brought over to cut sugar cane or construct the railways.
Indian temples and mosques can be found all over the country.
Under British colonialism
The origin of Indian Kenyans dates back to the late 1800s (early 1900s), when British colonialists brought labourers from India to build the Kenya-Uganda railway. Many of the labourers, rather than voyage back to the Indian subcontinent, simply settled in Kenya, and slowly brought with them a host of hopefuls willing to start afresh a new life.Indentured labour from Britain's Indian empire
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
was brought to Kenya to construct the Kenya-Uganda Railway. Subsequently, the railway brought Indians engaged in trade from the coastal cities into the interior. By the 1920s, there was a sizable Indian population who demanded a role in the developing political life of the Kenya Colony
Kenya Colony
The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British crown colony in 1920...
.
Racial hostilities arose with the establishment of the colony of Kenya in 1920. The Indians, enjoying a greater economic strength, were the more adamant. As early as 1920, they turned down the offer of two seats on the legislative council since this was not representative of the size of their community. Tensions remained high until 1927 when the Indians won the right to five seats on the council, compared to eleven reserved for the Europeans.
Independence
In the 1960s, several thousand Indians fled Kenya for the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
due to discriminatory practices by the ruling government. Since that time relations have improved slowly.
Today, the Indian community in Kenya is estimated at over 100,000 and is dispersed throughout the country. Despite varying degrees of acculturation, most have retained their strong Indian ties and traditions, and are a close-knit, endogamous
Endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
community.
See also
- Demographics of KenyaDemographics of KenyaKenya is a multi-ethnic state in the southern Great Lakes region of East Africa. It is primarily inhabited by Bantu and Nilotic populations, with some Cushitic ethnic minorities in the north. Its total population is estimated at 41 million inhabitants as of 2011....
- Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972On 4 August 1972, the then President of Uganda, Idi Amin, ordered the expulsion of his country's Indian minority, giving them 90 days to leave Uganda...
- Asians in AfricaAsians in AfricaPeople from, or with roots from, Asia live throughout Africa. Some came in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as indentured labour or coolies...
- Hinduism in KenyaHinduism in Kenya-Introduction:Hinduism in Kenya mainly comes from coastal trade routes between primarily between Gujarat and Marwar in India and East Africa.The origin of the Kenyan Gujarati dates back to the late 1800s , when British colonialists brought laborers from India to build the Uganda-Kenya railway...
- Sikhism in Kenya
External links
- KENYA, One Hundred Years of Political History in a Flash. Part II. Imperialism, Richard Peck, Lewis and Clark College, 2006.
- Immigration Department of Kenya, abstract history of nationality laws.
- http://namaskar-africana.com
Further reading
- Robert Granville Gregory, India and East Africa: a history of race relations within the British Empire, 1890-1939 (Oxford, 1971)
- J S Mangat, A history of the Asians in East Africa, c. 1886 to 1945 (Oxford, 1969)