Britain's Mini Israel In East Africa

Over a century ago, anti-Semitism yet again was rearing its head in Europe, so Jews needed to flee. But where could they go? The British had a suggestion: Africa. What was then called British East Africa was quickly proposed as a safe haven by the founding father of Zionism, Theodor Herzl. Speaking at the Sixth Zionist Congress in 1903, he stunned nearly 600 delegates with a proposal he dubbed the “Uganda Scheme,” even though the territory was part of present-day Kenya.

The proposal led to heated, often acrimonious, debate among both Zionists and British East African settlers. Yet, no one consulted the Africans whose land was in question. Confusion surrounding the region offered to the Zionists persists today: Uganda and the British East Africa Protectorate were both in East Africa and under the control of the British Foreign Office, but they were distinct and independent of each other. That is despite the fact that the former is wholly in today’s Kenya.

The confusion may have arisen because the offer was linked to the Uganda railway, the principle means of travel from the coast inland. Although the railroad was located in Kenya between the sea and Lake Victoria, it terminated in what was then known as the Uganda Protectorate. Even some contemporaneous sources erred with regard to the location, though Herzl called it the “Nairobi Plan,” referring to present day capital of Kenya. In a June 1903 diary entry, Herzl’s assistant and official representative, Leopold Greenberg, met with British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain on 20 May 1903, and asked him: “Do you mean Uganda?”

Anyway, it was clear Zionists preferred Palestine as a settlement for Jews. The Uganda Plan was officially rejected at the Seventh Zionist Congress held in 1905. Other areas reported to have been considered for a settlement include Crimea, Siberia, Alaska, Madagascar, Japan, Jordan, Sinai, British Guiana, Poland and Tasmania. If the Uganda plan had been successful, it would have meant Israel would today be an occupier on African soil and perhaps the conflict in Palestine would be playing out in Africa. African writer DJ Bwakali breaks it down for us. @djbwakali