Uganda Railway, Colonial railway line between Mombasa and Lake Victoria, Kenya
The Uganda Railway is a rail line running from the port of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean to Lake Victoria, covering a distance of about 1060 kilometers across Kenya. The track climbs roughly 2000 meters in elevation, passing through coastal lowlands, savannas, and the East African highlands.
The British colonial government started building the line in 1896 to establish trade routes between the coast and the interior and to secure control over East Africa. The railway opened officially in 1903, linking the Indian Ocean with Lake Victoria for the first time by rail.
Workers from the Indian subcontinent arrived in East Africa between 1896 and 1903 to build the track, bringing their food traditions with them. Their influence remains visible today in Kenyan cuisine, where dishes like chapati and samosas have become part of everyday meals.
The line carries cargo and passengers between major Kenyan cities, offering an alternative to road travel through different geographic regions. Trains generally move slower than modern transport but allow views of landscapes along the historic route.
During construction work in the Tsavo region between 1898 and 1899, two male lions killed numerous workers and halted progress for months. Colonel John Henry Patterson eventually shot both animals, whose preserved bodies are now on display at the Field Museum in Chicago.
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