Indians in East Africa : how many are they today?

Laurent Nowik, Université de Tours

My presentation will analyze the Indian population in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) based on demographic statistics from the last few censuses. This work is still being finished as Kenya and Uganda have not publicly released the statistics relative to the Indian communities from their most recent censuses. The statistics bureaus have, however, accepted that we use these data for scientific purposes. After a brief overview of the history and demographics of the settling of Indians in East Africa, my presentation will discuss their recent demographical changes in Kenya and Uganda. This latter country is a particularly interesting case because, since their expulsion in 1972 under the dictator, Idi Amin Dada, we have seen a new Indian migration toward Uganda. Contrary to what many people believe, these immigrants are not “returnees”. They seem rather to be “pioneers” who occupy relatively high socio-professional positions.