Indian Diaspora in Kenya

Historian Sana Aiyar in her work on the Indian diaspora in Kenya notes that by the time Kenya became an independent nation, 2 per cent of the country’s population was composed of Indians who were part of the retail, wholesale and manufacturing sectors and provided skilled labour. Further, she notes that 30 per cent of Nairobi’s population was Indian. However, the strongly visible presence of Indians in Kenya is complicated by the racial and economic position of the community in the country. Immigrants to the East African republic from India, particularly from Gujarat, had started coming in since the 17th century. The advent of colonial rule expanded business opportunities for Indians from other parts of the subcontinent as well. For instance, a large number of Punjabis provided labour for constructing the railways. Further, Indians were also required for serve in the British Army in East Africa. While several Indians came back after the termination of their contracts, several stayed on there working as masons, mechanics and carpenters.

By the early 20th century, a fresh inflow of Indians made their way into Kenya who emerged as the petty bourgeois class, serving semi-skilled labour to Europeans, Indians and Africans. Colonial administration in Kenya, like in India, was based on categorization along racial, religious and ethnic lines. Consequently, a racial pyramid like structure evolved in the administrative set up, with Europeans right on the top with exclusive access to the fertile highlands, Indians in the middle, working as traders and Africans forming the bottommost rung. As noted by Aiyar, Africans were expected to fulfil dual roles. On the one hand they had to make European farms profitable and on the other hand, they were expected to cultivate their own lands and sell the surplus to the shops run by Indians.

By the mid twentieth century, when anti-colonial movements took roots in India, the same ideologies of freedom and equality were carried by the immigrants to Kenya. Thereafter, Indians in Kenya started agitating for racial equality. The intermingling of Indian and African nationalist politics has been the subject of research for several historians. An interesting aspect of the relation between the two colonized communities however, is that while on one hand the two could relate to each other in terms of the shared dream of independence, on another hand there is sufficient evidence of conflict between the two communities on account of the racial hierarchy that existed. As a result, despite the contribution made by the Indian diaspora to Kenyan demands for independence, the community had continued to be relatively invisible in the official historical records of Kenya.

The latest move by the Kenyan government to recognize Indians in Kenya as a tribe is move that is expected to correct this invisibility and make an official note of the efforts to achieve nationhood and development that the Indian community has shared with the other Kenyan tribes historically.

Some popular Indian origin Kenyans are:

Pio Gama Pinto – He was a journalist, politician, and freedom fighter. This socialist leader devoted his life to liberate Kenyan people from post-colonial dictatorship. Pio Gama Pinto was killed due to his outspoken way of living and became independent Kenya’s first martyr in 1965.

Makhan Singh – This Punjabi was the pioneer of trade unionism in Kenya. In 1927, he moved with his family to Nairobi from Punjab at a tender age of 13. Later in 1935, he formed the first trade union in Kenya and was quite active in the Ghadr/Kirti Party that struggled for Kenyan independence. In 1949, he together with Fred Kubai, a Kenyan, formed the East African Trade Union.

A R Kapila – Born in 1926, Aachhroo Ram Kapila was a prominent criminal lawyer of Kenyan Asian background. He is remembered in Kenya for his role in fighting for the rights and compensations of the Mau Mau Freedom Fighters during their independence struggle.

Fitz de Souza – He was a Kenyan Indian lawyer, who became a member of Parliament, and later deputy speaker of the Kenyan parliament.

Shakeel Shabbir – He is the current Member of Parliament for Kisumu, a large city in Kenya. Although he has an Indian lineage, he was elected to the parliament by indigenous Kenyans, which shows that he is accepted irrespective of his origins

Jayesh Saini - Health care consultant, Leads key pharmaceutical companies and healthcare (Bliss Healthcare, Nairobi West Hospital, Dinlas Pharmaceuticals)

Manilal Premchand Chandaria- Kenyan businessman of Indian descent born in Nairobi. Along with being a senior member of the Comcraft Group of Companies, a billion dollar enterprise that has a presence in over 40 countries,[2][3] he is on the boards of several prominent East African companies. He has won several awards in East Africa and internationally in recognition of his entrepreneurial endeavours and is also a noted philanthropist.

Vimal Shah - businessman, entrepreneur, mentor and industrialist in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. He is the Chairman of Bidco Africa and is responsible for the company's growth into new markets and product [2] Bidco is a business conglomerate involved in the manufacture of edible oil, detergents, soaps, margarine and baking powder.