Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee

Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee
Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee monument at the Jeevanjee gardens in Nairobi
Born	1856 Karachi, British India
Died	1936 (aged 79–80) Nairobi, Kenya Colony
Nationality	Indian
Other names	A.M. Jeevanjee
Occupation	Merchant, politician

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.

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.

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.

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.