The Uganda Railway

What was the Uganda Railway?

The Uganda Railway was a project to build a railway in East Africa, to improve communications and trade.

Why did they build the Uganda Railway?

The Uganda Railway was built for economic reasons.

• ❖ Britain had taken control of parts of East Africa.
• ❖ Britain wished to improve transport and communications in East Africa, in order to help make farming and trade profitable.

How did they build the Uganda Railway?

The Uganda Railway was a major engineering project, which was very expensive to build.

• ❖ The plan was to build a railway that went from Mombasa to Lake Victoria.
• ❖ The railway was built by the British East Africa Company (BEAC), which was formed in 1888.
• ❖ In 1892, the BEAC gave control of the area to the British government, in order to secure government funds to build the railway.
• ❖ Many Indians, who had experience of building railways in India, were brought to East Africa to work on the railway.
• ❖ The railway was completed in 1901. It had been such a dangerous project, that it was nicknamed the 'Lunatic Line'.

What was the significance of the Uganda Railway?

There are a number of reasons why the Uganda Railway was significant.

• ❖ It improved transport and communications in East Africa, which also improved trade and increased profitability.
• ❖ It had led to the migration of around 7,000 Indians to East Africa. These Indians settled, and developed a thriving Indian community in Kenya and Uganda.
• ❖ The Indians became an important part of the administration of East Africa, throughout the 20th century.
• ❖ When the Indians were expelled from Uganda in 1972, many of them migrated to Britain, increasing Britain's multicultural make-up.