The Asian Kenyans who remained in Kenya after independence, or who arrived in later decades, built themselves into the modern economy in a different guise. No longer petty merchants, they became industrialists, professionals, and entrepreneurs. Major Kenyan corporations are owned or controlled by Asian families. Yet the community remains marked, particularly after 2007-08 when Asian businesses were targeted during post-election violence.
Major Business Groups
The Chandaria family controls Comcraft Group, one of Africa's largest industrial conglomerates involved in cables, steel, and industrial products. Manubhai Chandaria, the group's patriarch, became a prominent philanthropist and businessman, exemplifying how some Asians transformed mercantile wealth into industrial scale. The family is iconic in contemporary Kenya, yet still carries the historical weight of being "outsider industrialists."
The Sameer Group operates across East Africa in automotive, industrial, and retail sectors. The Devki Group (diversified into steel, manufacturing, and industrial services) represents another major Asian-owned conglomerate. These families employ thousands, pay significant taxes, and contribute substantially to Kenya's economy. Yet they remain socially marked as Asian rather than simply Kenyan.
Asian Kenyans are disproportionately represented in professional classes: doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants. The combination of educational access (historically valued within Asian communities) and professional merit created pathways where Asians could accumulate expertise and respectability even when business ownership faced restrictions.
The 2007-08 Post-Election Violence
In 2007-2008, following the disputed presidential election and the violence that erupted, some Asian businesses were specifically targeted in certain areas. The violence was primarily framed as ethnic conflict (Kikuyu vs Luo tensions), but it revealed ongoing anxieties about Asian economic prominence and the perception of Asians as exploitative outsiders.
Asian businesses in certain regions were burned, looted, or destroyed. The violence was selective: some areas saw significant targeting of Asian businesses, while others did not. The experience deepened the sense of precariousness within the Asian community. Despite building industrial empires and establishing themselves as essential to Kenya's economy, they remained vulnerable to sudden exclusion or violence.
Contemporary Status
Today, approximately 40,000-50,000 Asians (of various origins: Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Chinese) live in Kenya. Most are Kenyan citizens by nationality. Many are third, fourth, or even fifth generation, having never lived outside Kenya. Yet the label "Asian Kenyan" still carries weight, marking individuals as non-African despite Kenyan citizenship and lifelong residence.
This reflects a deeper issue: Kenyan national identity remains partly racialised. To be Kenyan is, in common understanding, to be African. Asians, regardless of generation, remain categorised as guests or temporary residents. This status persists despite economic indispensability, despite contributions to state revenue, despite the fact that many Asian Kenyans have deeper roots in Kenya than some recent African migrants.
Belonging and Exclusion
The journey from railway worker to merchant to industrialist to professional has not resolved the fundamental question: do Asians belong in Kenya? Legally, yes. Economically, obviously. Socially and culturally, the answer remains ambiguous. Many Asian Kenyans experience their status as permanent incompleteness: fully committed to Kenya, yet never fully accepted as Kenyan.
Some Asian families have recently invested in land (now legally permitted) and in Kenyan education and property, deepening their stake. Others maintain dual loyalties, holding Indian or British citizenship as insurance. The pattern reflects trauma from the past and uncertainty about the future.
See Also
- Asian Kenyan Identity 2026
- Asian Kenyans Under Colonial Rule
- Asian Response to 2007-2008
- Asian Manufacturing Sector
- Asian Philanthropy Kenya
Related
Asian Kenyans Under Colonial Rule | Asians at Independence | Chinese in Kenya | The Three-Tier Racial Hierarchy Legacy | Index