Kenya and Costa Rica - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 191

or so ago. Somalis, a Cushite people, continue to infiltrate into the north-
east to this day. Experts list up to 50 tribes. The largest are the Kikuyu with
23% of the population, followed by the Luhya, the Luo, the Kalenjin, and
several more. The population is 83% Christian and 11% Muslim.
The first non-Africans to arrive were Arab traders who appeared along the
coast about AD 700, seeking ivory, animal pelts, and slaves. In this period
slaves were exported as far away as Iraq and India. Some merchants settled
in Mombasa and Malindi, as well as Zanzibar in present-day Tanzania,
and Mogadishu in Somalia. By the 14th century a lingua franca had
emerged—Swahili—from the Arabic, Bantu, Persian, and Indian tongues.
(Today, it is, with English, one of the two official languages of Kenya.)
In 1498 the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived at Malindi,
en route to India. During the next century the Portuguese conquered sea
ports and built permanent forts. Fort Jesus still stands at the entrance to
Mombasa. The Portuguese did not send settlers; instead, they sent only a
few soldiers to man their fortifications. In 1696 the Arabs and local allies
began a successful 33 month siege of Fort Jesus, and by 1720 chased the
Portuguese out of East Africa. Even during the periods of Portuguese
dominance, their impact was slight. Arab merchants continued to live and
trade as permanent residents of the coastal cities. In 1840 the Sultan of
Oman moved his capital from the Arabian Peninsula to Zanzibar to enjoy
a better climate and trading advantages.
British colonization came late. During the nineteenth century, they
showed little interest in East Africa until 1885 when the Germans
demanded that the Sultan in Zanzibar cede territory on the mainland.
When he refused, the Imperial German navy sailed up with five warships,
forcing him to capitulate. With the new German colony of Tanganyika
being established, the British negotiated an agreement so they would get
control the region to the north as a Protectorate. The Sultan got nothing.
After the Germans began building a railroad from Dar-es-Salaam to Lake
Victoria, the British in 1896 began laying tracks for a competing line, reach-
ing the lake 5 years later. Workers came from India. In the first months of
construction in the Tsavo plains, two lions stalked and ate workers, drag-
ging them from their tents at night. Estimates of the number of victims
range from 35 to 135. The workers fled. Eventually, hunters were able to
find and kill the lions. The city of Nairobi was founded where the grade of
the rails grew steeper at the Highlands, necessitating switching engines.
In the early years, there was little cargo for the railway to carry, but a solu-
tion appeared. If white farmers could be enticed to settle, their crops could