Nationality Indian Role Merchant Name Alibhai Jeevanjee | Occupation Merchant, politician Other names A.M. Jeevanjee | |
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Born 1856 Karachi, British India Died June 2, 1936, Nairobi, Kenya | ||
Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee (1856–1936) was an Indian merchant, politician and philanthropist who went on to play a large role in the development of modern day Kenya during colonial rule.
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Early life
Jevanjee was born in Karachi, then part of the Bombay Presidency in India to Shia Dawoodi Bohra parents who traced back to the western state of present-day Gujarat. He received minimal education and upon the death of his father embarked on a career as an itinerant peddler, trekking across India and Australia before settling in East Africa.
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 Kenya-Uganda Railway. He imported his workforce from the Gujarat region of British India. 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 Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims who worked as skilled labourers, artisans, bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, tailors, motor mechanics and electrical fitters.
The construction of the railway proved hugely profitable for Jevanjee and his newly set office in Mombasa ventured into other business interests in the region. His firm undertook contracts to build various government offices, railway stations and post offices all along the Mombasa-Kisumu railway. He further played a large role in the growth of Nairobi, supplying much capital to develop the town's infrastructure.
Politics
When construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway reached lake Victoria, Jeevanjee began taking an active role in political life, and launched the African standard which was a weekly newspaper. 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 who renamed it to East African Standard. Later in 1910 the paper became a daily newspaper and it moved its headquarters to Nairobi which was a fast developing commercial center.
In 1905, he was the first non-white appointed to represent the interests of the Indians in the Legislative Council (Legco) which was established that same year. He also established the East African Indian National Congress.
Jeevanjee gardens
He started building the Jeevanjee Gardens in 1904 which he later donated to the people of Nairobi in 1906 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.