Uganda Railway

The Uganda Railway was a railway constructed at the end of the 19th century, originally from Mombasa to Lake Victoria, later to Kampala. It had remarkable effects, mostly unintended, on the development of both Kenya and Uganda. The railway later fell into disuse along much of its length, but in 2013 agreements were reached for its reconstruction with a different gauge.

Original purposes

The intentions of the British governments which undertook the building of the line were to assist in the suppression of the slave trade and to maintain British interests in the face of French and German ambitions in the region. In 1890, the same year as Britain declared a protectorate over Uganda, the Brussels conference on the suppression of the slave trade committed the participating European powers to action to stop the Arab trade in slaves from Africa. It specifically mentioned the building of railways and the use of lake steamers. The Imperial British East Africa Company used the treaty as a reason to press the government for construction of a railway. Probably just as important was the fear of the Germans and French becoming considerable powers in the East of Africa. In the various debates in the House of Commons, trade with Uganda was also occasionally mentioned.

Construction of first line

Proposals from original survey

The British government had been persuaded to back the Imperial British East Africa Company's plans for a railway to Uganda, but on receiving the views of engineers, it decided to commission a survey before putting the project before the House of Commons. The survey report was received in 1893. It proposed a line of 657 miles, with a gauge of 3' 6", a maximum gradient of 1.5% and a maximum curvature of 10°. It would be accompanied by a telegraph line, and it would reach Lake Victoria at the outflow of the river Nzoia at the north-east corner of the lake. There would be one steamer on the lake. An engine of the type used in India was proposed. The report expressed optimism about there being no major difficulties, and showed inadequate knowledge of the country.

Actual construction

In 1895 an undecided Liberal government was replaced with a Conservative government determined to press ahead with the line. It decided to undertake the work directly, not by contract, and to use a 1 metre gauge, partly because this would enable use of Indian rolling stock, and partly in the mistaken belief that it would be the same gauge as a projected line through the Sudan. In August 1896 the bill to authorise construction and an expenditure of £3 million was passed. However, by that time the chief engineer, George Whitehouse, had already arrived at Mombasa in December 1895 and started work, overseen by a committee of the Foreign Office in London. The first labourers arrived from India in January 1896. The base was established at Mombasa island, and the first length of railway connected with the mainland by a temporary wooden viaduct. By the end of 1896, only 23 miles had been completed. The first 100 miles were certified for passenger use at the end of 1897. New surveys ahead of the progressing works resulted in decisions on a new route down the Rift Valley escarpment and a new route to a nearer point on Lake Victoria. In 1899 the headquarters of the railway was moved to Nairobi. So as not to hold up construction across the floor of the Rift Valley while the descent was constructed, an "incline" was built to lower railway waggons 1500 feet, This was completed in May 1900 and dismantled in November 1901, when the permanent route was completed.