Foxi
AH legend
Paul Huebner –a German was the first „mayer“ of Nairobi in 1901.
Huebner was born 1869 in Thorn, Westprussia /Deutsches Kaiserreich/Germany.
After the death of his parents, he went at the age of 21 to England, working for an Australian Ex-and Import Company and later he got a job as a clerk by the Chartered Bank of India,Austalia+China in Sansibar in 1894 and than two years later, as their manager in Mombasa.
In 1898 he started his own company: R.F.P. Huebner,Banker,Merchant+Transport Agent.
He was a respected businessman, good organisator,spoke the English language fluently and his friendship to the chief oft the British East Afrika Protectorat Sir Jon Hardinge, gave him the job of a „mayor“ in 1901.
A mayer does not exist there,and Hardinge gave him the title :
Municipal Commissioner of Nairobi
In the early days of building Nairobi ,it was no problem for him as a German to do that.But later he got some problems with his nationality in „Britania“ and he gave up this job.
His memories(1984-1913 ) of the founding days of Kenya,the story of the Uganda Railway,
the hostility between settlers and the government in London.
15 pounds one Acre
Because public officials was the first ones their and than the settlers(the English crown dont want a further independent war like America ),policy was: officials first and than a settlement.
His contacts to the American dandy Macmillan,his contacts to Lord Delamere,his friendship to John Boyes,the King of Wakikuyu ,all that stories arround make this book to a seldom treasure trove of the pioneer days of Kenya.
Railwaybuildings Nairobi 1899
Nairobi was planed only as a railway depot for the Uganda Railway .
The British Government was not interested to settle the British people their in the first days.
They wanted to move the Indian human surplus and brought 32.000 Indian workers in this country
Sansibar and Uganda was the main attention.
UK wanted a sure contact(over British Aegypt/Sudan ) for their troops to arrive the Indian Ocean safely, to go to India,so the Suez –Canal would be blocked one day.
India was always the richest pearl of England.This was the reason for the railway building.
But the costs was to high and the government needed cargo, to get the money back and unblocked the county for settlers now.
Nearby,do you know that the famous Uganda Railway never reached Uganda ?
The borderline from British East Africa (named Kenya in 1920) was along the Lake Rudolf Uganda/BEA) down south.But the government of BEA wanted a free hand for the „lunatic line“ and so they moved the borderline of BEA from lake Rudolf westwards to the Lake Victoria !!
End of the railway line was Port Florence,Kisumu today.But Kenia.
Clever and funny.Wasn't it ?
Those days describes Huebners book „Memories“
In 1913 he became ill ,Malaria and Amoebic dysentery and he went to Germany back to get healthy.
Than, two world wars was comming and so he never returned to Africa.
He died at the age of 92 in Bozen / South Tirol 1961.
Regards from Munich
Foxi (always fascinated of African history)
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