African seers predicted the coming of an iron snake that would swallow
people and vomit them at designated points.
The British efforts to build a concrete base for its
colonies in East Africa saw the establishment of an infrastructure that has
stood the test of time to acquire the status of a relic and still retain its
functional element. It would suppress slavery by removing the need of
humans to transport goods and necessitate a first word war campaign against
General Von Lettow-Vorbeck’s German East Africa modern Day Tanzania. It allowed
coffee and tea to be farmed and exported by settler farmers, a project that was
highly supported by the UK government and a policy that would shape the development
of Kenya for decades.
It was named after
its eventual destination, Uganda. In 1896 the British East Africa Company begun
building the line from Mombasa eventually reaching Lake Victoria in 1901.The
point was named Port Florence (Modern day Kisumu city),it was named after the
lady who was given the honour to hammer in the last key at the water’s edge,
Florence Preston wife of Chief foreman plate layer, Ronald O.Preston.
The railway would ensure British dominance in East Africa.
It was to run parallel to an earlier piece of infrastrure, an Ox-cart route from Mombasa
to Busia, the Mackinnon-Scalater road and now the modern day Mombasa- Nairobi
highway. Construction was carried out by Indian labourers estimated at around
32000.It cost around 5 m pounds and was operational by 1903.
LOCAL RESISTANCE
Notable was the Kedong massacre, Maasai locals attacked
railway workers killing 500 because two Masaai girls had been raped. English
man Andrew Dick led a counter attack against them but run out of ammunition and
was speared to death. At the turn of the 20th century the Nandi
people were to stage further resistance led by Koitalel Arap Samoei who was later captured and hanged in 1905 ending the resistance.
TSAVO RIVER BRIDGE
By 1898 tha bridge had reached Tsavo River. A temporay
wooden trestle was built to allow continuation of the railway as a permanent,firmer
bridge was being built.The bridge was to be built under direction of
captain,later colonel J H Patterson.The construction was halted for several
months after a scare, the scores labourers –Indian and African were mauled by
two lions. The two felines were later shot by Patterson and their remains are
currently preserved at the Chicago field Museum. The bridge is still in place and
functional.Unmarked graves remain along the lines route at stations along,kyulu, kanga and kenani.
The man eating lions would later kill road Engineer O’Hara
who was drugged from his tent in 1899.Police Superintendent C H Ryall would face the same fate while
sleeping in his observation saloon no.13, he was killed by a lion that entered
his carriage through the window and dragged his body to the bush. Others were to
recount their narrow escapes, Heubnar a German trader and Parenti an Italian
merchant. The lion was to be later bait trapped and shot.
NAIROBI KENYA’S
CAPITAL CITY
By 1899 nearly 500kms of the track had been laid and had
crossed the Athi plains. The rail head
reached a swampy ground called by the locals (Maasai) Nyrobi (later 1900 named
Nairobi modern day capital city of Kenya).Here a major base was set up in
preparation for further penetration of the railway line, the administrative
offices were moved here from Mombasa and staff houses were set up. The colonial
administration also moved to this place from nearby Machakos. These attracted
many support services and goods which were provided by the Indians merchants.
Eventually construction was completed in 1901, opening up
East Africa to the rest of the word with Five million pounds sterling, 43
stations, 1200 bridges, five years and countless lives lost. An amazing feat in
the history of Kenya and railway infrastructure.
US President Theodore Roosevelt while on safari in 1909 road
on the railway line he later remarked:
“ The railroad, the embodiment of the eager, masterful,
materialistic civilization of today, was pushed through a region in which
nature, both as regards wild man and wild beast, does not differ materially
from what it was in Europe in the late Pleistocene.
The Tsavo Man-Eaters on display in the Field Museum on Natural History in Chicago Illinois...the skins were sold in 1924 to the museum for US$ 5,000
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