Manilal Ambalal Desai facts for kids

Manilal Ambalal Desai (1878-1926) was an important activist and journalist. He was born in India and played a big role in Kenyan politics during the 1920s. He fought for the rights of Indian and African people in Kenya.

Early Life and Beginnings

Manilal Desai was born in 1878 in Surat, India. His family owned land there. He went to Mission High School. Later, he started working as a clerk at a law firm in Bombay.

Fighting for Rights in Kenya

In 1915, Manilal Desai moved to Kenya. At that time, Kenya was called the East Africa Protectorate. He worked as a law clerk there. One day, he was told that only Europeans could smoke cigars at his workplace. This made him angry. He quit his job and decided to enter politics.

Joining the Fight

Desai began working with groups that supported Indian people. Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee chose him to help improve the East African Indian National Congress. This was a group that worked for the rights of Indians in Kenya.

In 1919, Desai started his own newspaper called the East African Chronicle. This paper often criticized the colonial government. A colonial government is when one country rules another country far away.

Friendship with Harry Thuku

Manilal Desai became good friends with Harry Thuku. Thuku was the founder of the Young Kikuyu Association, a group for African people. Desai let Thuku use his office. He also printed Thuku's newspaper, Tangazo, on his own printing press.

When Harry Thuku was arrested, Desai helped take care of Thuku's elderly mother. Because of his friendship with Thuku, Desai started to speak out more. He used his newspaper to support the concerns of African people.

Political Leadership

Desai became a member of the Nairobi Town Council. He also became the president of the Nairobi Indian Association. In 1922, he was elected president of the East African Indian National Congress.

The next year, Desai and Jeevanjee went to London. They represented the Indian community to meet with the Duke of Devonshire. This meeting led to the Devonshire White Paper. This paper did not give Indians everything they wanted. However, it also stopped European settlers from gaining full control. Instead, it said that African interests were most important.

In 1924, Desai spent six weeks in prison. He was jailed for joining a protest against a poll tax. A poll tax was a tax that everyone had to pay, regardless of how much money they made. The next year, he was chosen to be part of the Legislative Council. This was a group that helped make laws.

Later Life and Legacy

While on a trip to Tanganyika to raise money, Manilal Desai had a heart attack. He died on July 26, 1926.

A building in Nairobi was named the Desai Memorial Hall to remember him. However, this building has since been taken down.