Indians in Kenya

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Indians in Kenya
poptime = 100,000
popplace = Nairobi, Mombasa
langs = English, Gujarati, Hindi
rels = Sikhism,Hinduism, Islam
related-c = Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin, Desi

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 Sikh and Hindu with some Muslims, often with their own businesses and places of worship.

Gurdwaras, Temples and Mosques can be found all over the country.

Under British colonialism

Indentured labour from Britain's Indian empire was brought in to construct the Kenya-Uganda railway. Subsequently the railway brought Indians engaged in trade from the coastal cities into the interior. The result was that by the 1920s there was a sizable Indian population who demanded a role in the developing political life of Kenya Colony.

The establishment of the colony of Kenya in 1920 brought in its train racial hostilities. 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. Tension 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 1968, several thousand Indians fled Kenya for the United Kingdom due to discriminatory practices by the ruling government. Since that time relations have improved slowly.

ee also

* Demographics of Kenya
* Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972
* Asians in Africa
* Hinduism in Kenya
* Sikhism in Kenya

References

* [http://www.rudyfoto.com/IndiansofAfrica.html Indians of Africa] , Rudy Brueggemann, 2000.
* [http://www.goacom.com/news/news2000/mar/msg00094.html A New View of Kenya's 'Asians'] , Washington Post March 15, 2000.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/4/newsid_2738000/2738629.stm More Kenyan Asians flee to Britain] : BBC, February 4, 1968. Reprinted by BBC.co.uk, "On this Date", n.d.
* [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/10423 The Lost Indians of Kenya] , Salim Lone, New York Times Review of Books, Volume 17, Number 5 · October 7, 1971.
* [http://www.shashitharoor.com/articles/hindu/kenyans.php `We're all Kenyans here'] , Shashi Tharoor, The Hindu, November 07, 2004.
* [http://www.wairua.com/ruth/culture/africa.html The Indian Diaspora in Africa] , Ruth DeSouza.
* Vincent Cable The Asians of Kenya, African Affairs, Vol. 68, No. 272 (Jul., 1969), pp. 218-231
*Randall Hansen. THE KENYAN ASIANS, BRITISH POLITICS, AND THE COMMONWEALTH IMMIGRANTS ACT, 1968. The Historical Journal (1999), 42: 809-834 .
* [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=400&j=1 Unfree Labour: Family History Sources for Indian Indentured Labour] . Research Guide from The British National Archives, 2006.

External links

* [http://www.lclark.edu/~peck/EAf-Orient/Kenya/Imperialism.htm KENYA, One Hundred Years of Political History in a Flash. Part II. Imperialism] , Richard Peck, Lewis and Clark College, 2006.
* [http://www.immigration.go.ke/ Immigration Department of Kenya] , abstract history of nationality laws.

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)