After the Berlin conference, the Germans and the British started to build many transport systems in their respective colonies.
Examples:
The German transport system
In 1893, they built the Dar es Salaam to Tanga railway line. It reached Mombo in 1905.
In 1905 to 1914 they built a central line from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma.
The British transport system
The British built the Tabora to Mwanza railway line from 1928 in the British East Africa.
The British built the Uganda railway from Mombasa to L. Victoria and other areas. They started from Mombasa in 1889. It reached KISUMU in 1902, Jinja in 1925.
THE UGANDA (KENYA / UGANDA) RAILWAY LINE
The construction started in 1896 at Mombasa by British Engineer. It cost the British government about 5.5 million pounds. The railway reached Kisumu in 1901.
PROBLEM OF THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Climatic problem: The workers faced the problems of dry areas between Mombasa and Nairobi. The construction was also delayed by the flash floods in wet areas West of Nairobi.
Lack of adequate laborers: Many Kenyans natives were not willing to work and stay away from their homes for a long period. The British government had to import in Kenya about 32,600 Indian laborers. They were known as the ‘COOLIES’. They worked on the railway. This solved the problems of labor in the construction of the railway.
Hostile people: Some communities didn’t like the railway to pass through their territories because it was associated with land alienation. For example. The Nandi frequently raided the camp workers and they stole the rails in order to make spears.
Diseases: The British engineers constantly suffered from tropical diseases like Malaria while the Indian laborers who were barefoot when attacked by Jiggers. These diseases delayed the construction of the railway.
Inadequate port facilities for unloading materials which were needed for the construction of the railway.
Altitude: In the rift valley the engineers had the problem of construction of the railway along the escarpment. This delayed the construction.
Attacks from wild animals: When the railway reached TSAVO railway construction was temporarily balled because of the lions which killed many Indian workers.
THE IMPACTS OF THE UGANDA RAILWAY LINE TO KENYA, UGANDA AND TANGANYIKA
Trade links: The railway linked East Africa to the international economy. Goods from Kenya, Uganda and some parts of Northern Tanganyika were shipped overseas via Mombasa.
It led to the growth of towns: in areas in which the railway crossed, it led to the growth of many towns. For example, Nairobi was established in 1899 to be a railway depot.
It facilitated African farming: The railway facilitated the transportation of farm inputs from Mombasa to the interior and the transportation of agricultural products from the interior to the coast. This boosted farming in East Africa.
It attracted many white settlers in Kenya: The commissioner for the East African protectorate (Kenya), Sir Charles Elliot 1900 – 1904) invited the white settlers from Britain, New –Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Australia etc. to come invest in Kenya. It was done in order to make the railway pay through the freight charge on the settler’s agricultural produce.
Facilitation of British administration: The British administration and troops were transported to control the native’s disputes e.g. The Guest revolts in 1905.
It led to increase of Indians in East Africa: more than 34000 Indians were brought in Kenya. Some of them were returned to India, others desired to remain in East Africa after their railway construction work.
The change of Uganda – Kenya boundary in 1902, the British government changed the Eastern province of Uganda to East Africa protectorate. They did that so as to put the entire railway under one administration and to make all the highlands accessible by the railways for the white settlers.
Note: The problems experienced by the British in Kenya during the construction of the railway were also experienced in South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Africa etc. during railway construction. Also, some of the impacts were similar to the impacts of railway construction in other areas of out of East Africa.
