An Indian Food container in the National Museum of Kenya

A trip to Kenya –  with “Indian surprises”

Nairobi is called Africa’s Sillicon valley and besides digital omnipresence also social entrepreneurship plays an important role. An ideal destination to discover more … and finding out that there is a huge influence of India:

After an interesting meeting in the morning I decided to visit the National Museum in Nairobi. Passing along the street I could see a lot of families around who were enjoying Sunday activities in the park, in small restaurants, on the road.  But, in Sari and Indian look and feel? It didn’t take too much time to realize that there were a lot of Indian people around. “They can’t be all tourists,” I wondered … 

In the museum then I found the Indian food container and some good historical explanations why so many Indians live here in Kenya , now already in a third or fourth generation. 

In Kenya there is a huge economic influence since the beginning of 1900 till today. They immigrated because the British needed Indian people to build the so-called Uganda railway across Kenya. That was not easy: wild animals, a very bad infrastructure and a real hard work , especially in the Rift Valley, 

As Indians were not allowed to buy land, those who stayed in the country invested in commerce. Its visible everywhere – till today. Many Indians are owners of huge shops, supermarket chains are in Indian ownership. Indian people in Kenya are deeply involved in the local economy. Today, Indians are driving a big economic part all over the country (>30% in total).

Additional note: since January 2019 I have started social and social entrepreneurial projects in Kenya, too. Of course, our activities in India will continue. If you are interested in finding out more what we plan in Kenya, visit my new blog: www.goKenyagofuture.com