Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee
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Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee (1856– 2 May 1936) was an Indian-born Kenyan
merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...
, politician and philanthropist. He was amongst the first and most influential Indian settlers in
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, amassing significant wealth and becoming a leader of Kenya's Indian community.


Early life

Jeevanjee was born in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, then part of the Bombay Presidency in
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present day
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, to
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community re ...
parents.Challenge to Colonialism: The Struggle of Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee for Equal Rights in Kenya by Zarina Patel Review by: James R. Brennan The International Journal of African Historical Studies , Vol. 34, No. 2 (2001), pp. 433–435 His father Moosajee Mulla Jeevanjee was a horse and cart driver and he received minimal education. At the age of thirty and upon the death of his father he left home to wander India, embarking on a career as an itinerant peddler. He then moved to eastern
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
where he became fluent in English, set up a company selling Eastern produce, participated in the 1887 Jubilee Exhibition, and met British officials familiar with trade opportunities in
East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
. Returning to Karachi, he established a company providing stevedoring and translation services to visiting ships. In 1890 he sailed to
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
on a dhow to open a branch of his company there, branching out into road building, construction and transport.


Business

In 1895, A.M. Jeevanjee of Karachi — as he was called at the time, was awarded the contract to supply the Imperial British East Africa Company with labour as they built the Uganda Railway. He imported his workforce from the
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
region of British India.Uganda Society, The Uganda journal, Kampala, 1948, p.7 The first group to arrive had a total of 350 men and the number grew for the next six years to reach a total of 31,895. Most of the workforce were
Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
s,
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s and
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who worked as skilled labourers,
artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...
s,
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s, carpenters, plumbers, tailors, motor mechanics and electrical fitters. The construction of the railway proved hugely profitable for Jevanjee and his company in
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
. He now established a commercial empire across the
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, including two steamships between
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and
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and between
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
. He was lauded in the European press as a "real asset to a young country", who spoke English with "quite a good accent" and whose methods were "approximating more to the European, than the Asiatic type. He soon ventured into other business interests in the region. By 1900 it was estimated he was worth approximately four million pounds sterling. His firm undertook contracts to build various government offices, railway stations and post offices all along the railway. He further played a large role in the growth of
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, supplying much capital to develop the town's infrastructure. It was estimated that at the turn of the century, he was the leading property owner in both Nairobi and Mombasa, owning the greater part of the former and half of the latter. In 1901 he bought the Indian bazaar in Nairobi, and in 1904 built a permanent market named Jeevanjee market with the aim of developing trade in European produce on a global scale. His plans were thwarted following the outbreak of a plague in 1908, which authorities blamed on unhygienic conditions in his market and resulted in the colonial government restricting lower class Indians and Africans to specific quarters for residence and small time trading. In 1910, European settlers opened a market in Nairobi for the exclusive use of Europeans in order to circumvent and circumscribe Jeevanjee and other Indians within the economic sphere. At the time Indians controlled nearly 85 percent of the colony's trade. He was also a notable philanthropist, supporting religious institutions, the Bohra mosque and cemetery in Nairobi and several schools in Karachi. In 1906 he gifted Nairobi City Council a marble statue of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
which he had commissioned. During the
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, he offered his services to the government to help alleviate food shortages suffered by Indians in
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and
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
.


Politics

When construction of the Uganda Railway reached
Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...
, Jeevanjee began taking an active role in political life, and launched the African Standard which was a
weekly newspaper Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspap ...
. He had hired an editor-reporter, W.H. Tiller whose work was to oversee the operations of the newspaper. In 1905, he sold the newspaper to two British businessmen, Anderson and Mayer, who renamed it the East African Standard. Later in 1910 the paper became a
daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
and it moved its headquarters to Nairobi which was a fast developing commercial center. Jeevanjee co-founded the Mombasa Indian Association in response to the European settlers' Convention on Associations and began to mobilise the Indian community in the struggle for equal rights. Disappointed by the lack of progress he returned to India but in 1910 returned to take up a seat as a member of the Legislative Council. He was the first non-European appointed to represent the interests of Indians in the Legislative Council. In September 1910 he visited
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and gave an interview to the Daily Chronicle criticising attempts by European settlers to exclude Indians from a share in the country's commerce. Stating his pride in being a citizen of the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
, he proclaimed that if Indian enterprise was allowed to operate freely, Kenya would become a second India, and a source of great strength to the Empire. By positioning himself as pro-imperialist, fighting for Indian equality within the framework of the Empire and reserving his ire for the policies of the white settlers, the majority of whom happened to be
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rather than British, he was able to attract sympathy amongst the British press. In 1912, he published an ''Appeal on behalf of the Indians of East Africa'' in which he cited the role played by Indians in developing East Africa and issued a call for British East Africa to be annexed by the British Indian Empire and its administration to follow Indian principles. His appeal failed to attract the attention of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
but he did receive support from the
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, then head of the
All India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim League lat ...
and
Gopal Krishna Gokhale Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( International Phonetic Alphabet, ɡoːpaːl ˈkrɪʂɳə ˈɡoːkʰleː9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement, and political me ...
. Jeevanjee's increasing political activism began to be detrimental to his business interests and during this period he began losing grip on the empire he had built up. In 1914 he helped establish the East African Indian National Congress. The aim of the association was to defend Indian interests against European infringements, and demand the right to franchise, removal of restrictions on land sales, and greater Indian representation on legislative and municipal councils. In 1920, he gave a fiery speech attacking racist settler policies restricting Indian access to the franchise and
White Highlands The White Highlands is an area in the central uplands of Kenya. It was traditionally the homeland of indigenous Central Kenyan communities up to the colonial period, when it became the centre of European settlement in colonial Kenya, and between ...
and citing discrimination in taxation, education, municipal services and residential areas. The following year, he mobilised the Indian community of Nairobi to withhold payment of rates for the Municipal Council of Nairobi. He was indicted for non-payment of rates but won the case in the courts on a technicality forcing the legislature to pass a new bill on the collection of municipal rates. In 1923 he took part in the delegation to meet the
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
at the Colonial Office which in turn led to the Devonshire White Paper emphasising African Paramountcy. By the mid 1920s he had moved away from leadership roles, becoming more a mentor and guide to younger Indian political leaders. In 1926 his protege Manilal Desai died and he returned to the forefront when asked to preside over the sixth session of the East African Indian National Congress to help a rift between radicals and moderates. In 1933, when
Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (baptismal name Jan Christiaan Smuts, 24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as P ...
visited Kenya, he visited Jeevanjee to renew an old friendship.


Death

Jeevanjee died of a heart attack on 2 May 1936, in Nairobi, at the age of eighty. He was survived by his wife and two sons. At the time of his death he was a bankrupt, having lost his vast fortune by gambling in produce. One newspaper described him as the "Grand Old Man of Kenya", whilst another stated he was the "first man to demand equality and that "he laid the foundations of an organised political movement in Kenya". He was buried according to Islamic ritual on the day he died at the Bohra Cemetery in Nairobi.


Jeevanjee Gardens

In 1906, whilst at the height of his wealth, Jeevanjee began construction of gardens which were to be known as Jeevanjee Gardens. In 1906 he gifted the gardens to the people of Nairobi to use as a place to relax. These gardens became the subject in the news headlines in 1991 where some leaders in authority were purporting to turn it into a commercial plot. There had been a proposed construction of a Multi-storey car park which was against the wish of Jeevanjee. The youngest remaining daughter of Jeevanjee, the late Shirin Najmudean moved to Nairobi to stop the planned development on the piece of land.


See also

* Jeevanjee Gardens


References


Literature

* Patel, Zarina ''Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee'' East Africa Publishers Education LTD (2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeevanjee, Alibhai Mulla 1856 births 1936 deaths Indian emigrants to Kenya Indian Ismailis Kenyan Ismailis Dawoodi Bohras Businesspeople of Indian descent 20th-century Kenyan businesspeople Kenyan people of Indian descent Indian Muslims Gujarati people Kenyan Muslims Kenyan people of Gujarati descent Kenyan philanthropists British Kenya people People from Bombay Presidency