CHAPTER 5 - THE GREAT TREK

The mammoth brown and white snake pulled itself up the Great Rift Valley, twisting and curling itself around the slopes, before zigzagging majestically to its' descent. Noisily it rumbled along as it made contact with the hard stony surface beneath. Its' long curvy trail begun to unravel gradually as it shifted from the plateau onto the plains of Africas' virgin wilderness.

The tiny African children, away in the distance, rubbed their huge beautiful eyes with their chubby little hands, jumping up and down in amazement. They squinted, as the the sun shone brightly, not daring to look away for fear of missing even a second of this curious affair. "Who were these strange, pale people entering our land, what were they coming to do, where did they suddenly spring up from and what funny clothes were they wearing?" Elegant Maasai women adorned in jewelry, watched in contemplation and bewilderment. From time to time, they nervously glanced up at their men, sending telepathic messages in need of an answer. The morans stood high with one leg perched against the other, perfectly straight, their long spears held dauntlessly, pointing to the skies, not a muscle twitched. The wind howled fiercely snatching up the land ubiquitously into the air, forcefully hurling the thick ochre smoke towards them. The small clan shut tight their watery eyes and turned away from the dust-clouds; leaving behind a trail laden with footprints that became lighter and softer, until they vanished far beyond the horizon. The hills that once echoed the musical laughter of children, stood somberly alone and naked against the darkened backdrop of the sky.


The land of new opportunities had bared opened its' arms, and the Boer settlers were trekking their way in ox-wagons across the highlands. Nakuru was a rest stop, where they camped for the night before continuing onward to their farmlands. Some had branched off to Solai, Rongai or Subukia, others to Njoro, but most were travelling further to Eldoret, Kitale, Molo, Kericho and other places. Their departure from Nairobi had been significantly delayed as British officials were unable to cope with the over whelming land applications. The settlers had to wait at length, at a makeshift campsite near the edge of Nairobi that acquired the pseudo name of ‘Tentfontein'. Grogan built a house on the very site and much later the area was named Chiromo, as it stands today.




They had driven their ox-wagons from Nairobi, having sailed to Mombasa from South Africa. Some carried only the bare necessities and others came with wooden crates and hard-cased trunks filled with clothing, pots, pans, crockery, bedding and various tools. The train station in Mombasa was bustling with activity. Porters were everywhere, loading the massive wagons together with all the luggage onto the train as families stood around, waiting to board the iron snake. Some of the British government officials supervised the huge task, together with the Boer men who were dressed in safari jackets, trousers, ankle boots and felt-brimmed hats to shade their burnt sun-withered faces; they could be seen removing their hats from time to time, wiping the sweat off their foreheads. Some of the men wore topis, puttees, shorts and boots. Women waited under their umbrellas, assuring their restless children, that soon they would be journeying on the exciting choo-choo train. The women looked identical with their white bonnets that flopped around their faces and banded scarves fashioned neatly around their necks. Their once pristine, puffed-sleeve blouses were showing signs of their voyage, long skirts danced in tune to the breeze as they stood under the hot African sun. Little girls dressed in loose fitted smocks, worn over long sleeved tops, played happily amongst themselves, shielded from the strong sun by their wide brimmed hats. Boys watched the activity with curiosity as they kicked up the dust onto each other, much to their mothers disapproval. Their Dutch and German roots clearly brought a piece of Europe to the African continent. They came in droves to carve the land of Africa that eventually became their homestead. They were true pioneers in the history of Kenya.





Nakuru quickly became an engine changing station for trains that journeyed through, and was also a divisional head quarters. By 1902, it had established a customs post for goods coming in from Uganda. Naivasha remained a headquarter for Ugandas' Eastern Province. Nakuru was officially declared a township in 1904.

Ibrahim by then, knew well the land of Nakuru, Nairobi and some of its'neighboring areas. He made the route so often, he could have walked it blindfolded. All those days spent alone, were not wasted. Being adventurous, he took himself on short expeditions whenever an opportunity arose. At times, his friend, Adamji Noorbhai, came down from Baringo, and they would accompany each other to Nairobi. He had befriended many of the pioneering Europeans, Africans and Asians, and identified closely with everyone. He continued his humanitarian ways, providing randomly to people, either in the way of money or food. 'This', he said, 'kept him close to God and his family and was a reminder of his own circumstances when he first set foot in Africa'. He was quoted to have said, that he found the people of Africa friendly, kind and peaceful, but in the early days, they were timid of the odd looking foreigners, and would take off in the opposite direction.

He had enough capital by this time to invest in a much needed ox-cart transport business. It was the only mode of transport, after the porters and before the railways. He established it gradually, until he had a sufficient number of carts in operation. Employing several local men, he began sourcing his merchandise from Mombasa initially, and consequently branched out to Eldoret, Baringo, Kisumu and other places. The city of Kisumu was formerly called Port Florence and was part of Uganda until 1902, when the border between Kenya and Uganda was adjusted. Lake Victoria is bordered by Uganda and Tanzania, (formerly known as Tanganyika), and is the second largest, fresh water lake in the world.

One of his first European customers was ‘The Rt. Hon. Hugh Cholmondeley’, better known as ‘Lord Delamere’. Lord Delamere was one of the earliest European settlers and one of the Colony's most famous figures. Leaving his vast estate in England with a caravan of 200 camels and 100 porters, he settled on farmland in Njoro initially. By 1903, Lord Delamere owned vast farming lands comprising of sheep, cattle, wheat and maize as well as lumbar and flour mills, he acquired 400 sq kms of land on the lower slopes of the Mau Escarpment, followed by two hundred more at Soysambu, both of which eventually settled some 200 or more English settler families who made Nakuru their country capital. In the end, he owned titles to 145,000 acres of land. Lord Delamere was the leader of the European community, a mentor for the Governors and had been an architect and director in the policy making of Kenya Colony. One of the policies implemented by him, was the governing of Kenya through its' European residents.

Lord Delamere often required building materials and other rations for his vast estates, and frequented Ibrahim from time to time. They struck up a friendship later, and consequently, he became a regular customer. We were told that he had a hot temper, but at the same time, was also compassionate and had helped many people, regardless of race. Delamere was adventurous at heart and known as being accident prone; he was attacked by a lion once and miraculously survived the ordeal. As children, we insisted on hearing the story over and over again, and never tired of it really! The friendship continued through the generations of both families, right until my father, Mohamed Karimbux and Hugh Cholmondeley, 5th Baron Delamere.

We have vivid memories of visiting his home as children and one room in particular stood out from the rest. The room showcased an enormous train track that he had fashioned with meticulous landscaping, it was every child's fantasy and wishful thinking to somehow magically shrink, and be part of the beautiful world he had created. The trains, complete with engines that blew smoke through their funnels, passenger sleeping cars, dining cars fitted out with dining tables covered in white tablecloths, each holding a lamp, freight wagons and trucks and finally the guard's van. At great speed, it ran through tunnels channeled in the many hills and passed by a variety of vegetation, signs, buildings, toy people and other features, it was simply magnificent and was certainly every child's eye candy.




Farmland owned by the early settlers


In the mean time, Ibrahim had made a close friend in a Mr Valji Bhanji, a gentleman who originated from Kutch, India, who arrived in Mombasa in 1898. Initiating his business in Mombasa, he sold matches and tobacco and quickly progressed into successfully running a number of import-export businesses around Kenya and Uganda. In the early 1900's they agreed on a business proposal whereby, Valji provisioned the merchandise and Ibrahim commissioned them.


A few years later, Valji opened a branch of his business in Nakuru on the only main road that ran through it. The shop also served as a rest stop for tired travellers who were given a decent meal and accommodated, at no cost by Ibrahim. Valji himself, lived in a large house named, 'Leven House' located by the stairs of the Old Port in Mombasa. Valji passed away at the age of sixty three years old, after his businesses took an unexpected turn for the worse. Ibrahim had lost his very close and dear friend, a business partner and a gentleman who had become like a brother to him.



Mr Valji Bhanji





Employees outside Mr Valjis shop. Ibrahim seated 3rd from right.



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Ibrahim, seated at the extreme right with Mr Valji Bhanji 2nd from left, some years later

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The land of Kenya would experience a significant shift with this great achievement that took shape and was noted down as an important development in its' history.