Kenyan Asian
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Nairobi, Mombasa | |
| Languages | |
|
Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Hindustani, Odia (native languages) English, Swahili (working languages) |
|
| Religion | |
| Hinduism · Islam · Sikhism · Christianity · Jainism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin and other Indo-Aryan peoples |
Indians in Kenya (also referred to as Kenyan Asians) are citizens and residents of Kenya with ancestral roots in the Indian subcontinent. Most are found in the major urban areas of Nairobi and Mombasa, with others living in rural areas.
In Kenya, the word Asian usually refers specifically to people of South Asian ancestry (Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans). Prior to the partition of India those of south Asian ancestry were referred to as Indians; however after 1947 the term Asian also started being used.
Vasco da Gama recorded encountering Indian merchants along the coast of east Africa in the late 15th century. In Malindi he obtained the service of a Gujarati speaking sailor to navigate ships across the Indian ocean to Calicut. The Portuguese soon came to monopolise trade across the Indian ocean and displace the existing Arab commercial dominance in the region. Although this affected India's commerce with East Africa, some Indians succeeded in becoming accountants and bankers for the Portuguese as they had been for the Arabs.
By the early part of the 19th century, small numbers of Indian merchants could be found settled across the trading posts of East Africa. Their interests were enhanced when Said bin Sultan the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, subjected to the emergence of British naval supremacy in the Indian ocean and direct British political support for Indian merchants along the East African coast, adopted a series of favourable policies towards Indians in the region.
In 1887 the British East Africa Association was founded with its base in Bombay. The following year the Association was given a royal charter, becoming the Imperial British East Africa Company and moving its base to Mombasa. Although now based in Africa, the company had a strong Indian orientation, employing guards, police officers, clerks and accountants from Bombay.
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