The following is a list of notable Kenyan Asians, either persons born in or resident in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

with ancestry in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

or those descended from Kenyan Asians.

Academia, medicine and science

Ali S. Asani Ali Sultaan Asani ( sd, علي سلطان آساڻي; born 1954 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a Kenyan-American academic. He is Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures at Harvar ...

, professor *

Quassim Cassam Quassim Cassam, (born 31 January 1961) is professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He writes on self-knowledge, perception, epistemic vices and topics in Kantian epistemology. As blurbed for his book, ''Vices of the Mind'' (2019) ...

, professor * Sut Jhally, professor *

Azim Nanji Professor Azim Nanji is a Kenyan-born professor of Islamic studies. From 1998 until 2008, he served as Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, England. At present, he is the Senior Associate Director of the Abbasi Program in Islam ...

, professor * Urjit Patel, economist * Sir

Nilesh Samani Sir Nilesh Jayantilal Samani (born 19 July 1956) is a British physician who is professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester, consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in the city, and Medical Director of the British Heart Foundati ...

, physician * Malkiat Singh, author and publisher * Sir

Tejinder Virdee Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee, ( Punjabi: ਤਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਵਿਰਦੀ, born 13 October 1952), is a Kenyan-born British experimental particle physicist and Professor of Physics at Imperial College London. He is best known for or ...

, scientist

Business

Allidina Visram Allidina Visram (1851 - 30 June 1916) was an Indian people, Indian settler, merchant, and philanthropist who played a prominent role in the development of British East Africa. Biography Visram was born in Kera, Kutch, in the Bombay Presidency of ...

, pioneer and businessman *

Manu Chandaria Manilal Premchand Chandaria OBE CBS EBS (born 1 March 1929) is a Kenyan businessman of Indian descent who was born in Nairobi. He is a senior member of the Comcraft Group of Companies, a billion dollar enterprise that has a presence in over 40 ...

, businessman * Francisco D'Souza, CEO *

Navin Engineer Navinchandra Jamnadas Engineer (born May 1951) is a British billionaire, the owner of Chemidex, a pharmaceutical company that he founded in 1981. Early life Navinchandra Jamnadas Engineer was born in May 1951. His father worked for the Kenyan ci ...

, businessman * Trushar Khetia, CEO of the Tria Group *

Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee (1856– 2 May 1936) was an Indian-born Kenyan merchant, politician and philanthropist. He was amongst the first and most influential Indian settlers in Kenya, amassing significant wealth and becoming a leader of Kenya ...

, settler and businessman *

Naushad Merali Naushad N. Merali, CBS (2 January 1951 – 3 July 2021) was the founder of the Kenyan mobile service provider Kencell along with French media giant Vivendi.

, businessman * Pradeep Paunrana, businessman * Baloobhai Patel, businessman * Atul Shah, businessman *

Bhimji Depar Shah Bhimji Depar Shah, is a Kenyan businessman, industrialist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and current chair of BIDCO Group of Companies, a Kenya-based, family-owned manufacturing conglomerate with businesses in 13 African countries. Accordin ...

, businessman *

Vimal Shah Vimal Shah is a businessman, entrepreneur, mentor and industrialist in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. He is the Chairman of Bidco Africa and is responsible for the company's growth into new markets and product Bidco is ...

, businessman

Law and politics

* Sonia Birdi, politician * Suella Braverman, British politician *

Abdul Majid Cockar Abdul Majid Cockar (3 February 1936 – 31 October 2016 ) was a Kenyan lawyer and the Chief Justice of Kenya. He served from 1994 to 1997 and was succeeded by Zacchaeus Chesoni. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, British India. In 1938 he passed the ...

, Chief Justice of Kenya * Isher Dass, politician * Shams-ud-Deen, politicianRobert G. Gregory, India and East Africa: a history of race relations within the British Empire, 1890-1939, Clarendon Press, 1971 * Manilal Ambalal Desai, politician *

Fitz Remedios Santana de Souza Fitzval Remedios Santana Neville de Souza (1929 – 23 March 2020), often known as Dr. F. R. S. de Souza and Fitz de Souza, was a Kenyan lawyer and politician who was an important figure in the campaign for independence for Kenya, a member of t ...

, lawyer *

Achhroo Ram Kapila Achhroo Ram Kapila (25 August 1926 – 15 October 2003), usually known as A.R. Kapila or Achhroo Kapila, was one of Kenya's pre-eminent criminal trial lawyers, representing a number of African leaders. Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, his family ...

, lawyer *

Chunilal Madan Chunilal Bhagwandas Madan QC (born Chunilal Bhagwandas Bhusri; 11 November 1912 – 22 September 1989) was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya. He served between 1985–1986 and was succeeded by Justice Cecil Henry Ethelwood Miller. ...

, Chief Justice of Kenya *

Joseph Murumbi Joseph Zuzarte Murumbi (18 June 1911 – 22 June 1990) was a Kenyan politician who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya from 1964 to 1966, and its second Vice-President between May and December 1966. Early life He was bor ...

, politician *

Pio Gama Pinto Pio Gama Pinto (31 March 1927 – 24 February 1965) was a Kenyan journalist, politician and freedom fighter. He was a socialist leader who dedicated his life to the liberation of the Kenyan people and became independent Kenya's first martyr in ...

, journalist and politician *

Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar Usha Kumari Prashar, Baroness Prashar, (born 29 June 1948) is a British politician and a crossbench member of the House of Lords. Since the 1970s, she has served as a director or chair of a variety of public and private sector organisations. She ...

, politician *

Kalpana Rawal Kalpana Hasmukhrai Rawal (born 15 January 1946 in Bhuj, India) is a Kenyan-Asian lawyer and the former Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She was sworn in on June 3, 2013 as the Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya in ...

, lawyer and judge * Shakeel Shabbir, politician *

Mohamed Sheikh, Baron Sheikh Mohamed Iltaf Sheikh, Baron Sheikh (13 June 1941 – 22 September 2022) was a British politician and businessman. He was formerly an insurance broker and underwriter. Early life and professional career Mohamed Sheikh was born in Kenya and r ...

, businessman * Makhan Singh, trade unionist * Sir

Mota Singh Sir Mota Singh, QC (26 July 1930 – 13 November 2016) was a British judge who was noted for being the United Kingdom's first Asian judge. Early life Singh was born in 1930 in Nairobi, Kenya. Career After a short stint as a clerk at the E ...

, barrister and judge *

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...

, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom *

Amin Walji Amin Walji was Kenyan Asian politician who was elected as the (KANU) representative for the Westlands Constituency in the Kenyan general election, 1992, the first multi-party elections since independence in 1963. The Westlands Constituency was a m ...

, politician

Music and the Arts

Ruhila Adatia-Sood Ruhila Adatia-Sood (29 August 1982 – 21 September 2013) was a Kenyan television and radio presenter and journalist of Indian heritage. Ruhila Adatia was born and brought up in Kitisuru, Nairobi. She graduated from Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi, and ...

, journalist * Liaquat Ahamed, author"India, China should wish the rest of the world also grows"
, ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...

'', 17 January 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-05 * Adeel Akhtar, actor *

Mohamed Amin Mohamed Amin (29 August 1943 – 23 November 1996) was a Kenyan photojournalist. Amin's filming of Michael Buerk's report of the 1984 Ethiopian famine brought international attention to the crisis and eventually helped start the charity wave t ...

, photographer *

Kuljit Bhamra Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus (born 1959) is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborati ...

, composer *

Samir Bhamra Samir Bhamra is a multi-faceted British artist, playwright, costume designer, producer and musical theatre director at Phizzical Productions. Samir graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc. in Mathematics and Computation where he honed ...

, playwright *

Bali Brahmbhatt Bali Brahmbhatt is a Gujarati music director and playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or act ...

, playback singer * Gurinder Chadha, film director *

Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla is an American writer. He is most famous for his novel ''Ode to Lata'' published in 2002, that was adapted to a film in 2008 under the title ''The Ode''. He has also published the novel ''The Two Krishnas'' in 2011, which ...

, author * Ravida Din, film producer *

Nitin Ganatra Nitin Chandra Ganatra (born 30 June 1967) is a Kenyan-born British actor. He is known for portraying Masood Ahmed in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. Early and personal life Ganatra was born on 30 June 1967 in Kenya. Both sides of Ganatra's ...

, actor * Kulvinder Ghir, actor *

Viram Jasani Viram Jasani (born 1945) is a Kenyan-born Indian sitar and tabla composer and musician. He is best known for playing tabla drums on the song "Black Mountain Side" from Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album. He was awarded an honorary degree from the ...

, composer and musician * Ajaib Kamal, poet * Shenaaz Nanji, author *

Nadira Naipaul Nadira, Lady Naipaul (born Nadira Khannum Alvi; 1953), is a Pakistani journalist and the widow of novelist Sir V. S. Naipaul. Biography She was born in Mombasa, Kenya. At the age of 16 she married an engineer, Agha Hashim, who was 26 years her sen ...

, journalist * Dev Patel, actor * Shailja Patel, poet *

Priya Ramrakha Priya Ramrakha (january 31, 1935 – october 2, 1968) was an Indo-Kenyan photojournalist. Ramrakha was one of the first Africans to have been given a contract by ''Life'' and ''Time'' magazines. After his education at the Art Center Colle ...

, photojournalist *

Deep Roy Gurdeep Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 1 December 1957), known professionally as Deep Roy, is a Kenyan-British actor, puppeteer, and stuntman. At tall, he has often been cast as diminutive characters, such as Teeny Weeny in ''The NeverEnding Story' ...

, actor *

Kiran Shah Kiran Shah (born 28 September 1956) is a Kenyan-Indian actor and a stunt double. Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He lived in Kenya until he was twelve years old, when he moved to India with his family. While living in India, he became intere ...

, actor and stuntman *

Pooja Shah Pooja Ashwin Shah (born 8 August 1979 in London, England) is a British actress, filmmaker and model of Kenyan-Indian descent. She is known for her role as Kareena Ferreira in the popular UK soap opera EastEnders. Shah works with her husband direc ...

, actress *

Sukhbir Singh Sukhbir Singh Badal (born 9 July 1962) is an Indian politician and the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, and is currently a member of Parliament from the Firozpur Lok Sabha constituency, Firozpur. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Government ...

, bhangra artist *

Manoj Sood Manoj Sood (born May 5, 1962) is a Canadian film and television actor. Life and career Manoj Sood was born in Mombasa, Kenya, to Indian Hindu parents, Dr. B.K. Sood and Narindar Sood. He immigrated with his family to Canada in 1964, growing u ...

, actorAbdur Rahim, Canadian Immigration and South Asian Immigrants, Xlibris Corporation, 2014, p346 * Bahadur Tejani, poet * Moyez G. Vassanji, author * Ali Velshi, journalist *

Zain Verjee Zain Verjee (born February 11, 1974) is a Kenyan journalist. She is a former CNN anchor and correspondent, and now works in public relations. Her communications firm, Zain Verjee Group, has worked with Bloomberg Media, Bloomberg Philanthropies, ...

, journalist * Smriti Vidyarthi, journalist *

Imran Yusuf Imran Yusuf (born 26 November 1979) is a Kenyan-born British stand-up comedian of Indian Konkani Muslim descent, who has appeared on various British radio and TV comedy shows. Early life and career Yusuf was born in Mombasa, Kenya to ethnic India ...

, comedian *

Amber Rose Revah Amber Rose Revah (born 24 June 1986) is a British actress, writer, and voice artist. She is best known for playing the roles of Dinah Madani in Marvel's '' The Punisher'', Mika in MGM limited series Last Light and as Mary Magdalene in the box ...

, actress

Sport

Rajab Ali Rajab Wazir Ali (born 19 November 1965) is a Kenyan former cricketer. He has played nine One Day International for Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , imag ...

, cricketer *

Sabir Butt Sabir Butt (born April 20, 1969 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a Canadian former professional male squash player. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No.17 in May 1988 after having joined the Professional Squash Association in 1985. Winner of ...

, squash player *

Dipak Chudasama Dipak Nanalal Chudasama (born 20 May 1963) is a former Kenyan cricketer of Indian Gujarati origin. He was a right-handed batsman. Known as "The Doc", Chudasama was, as well as being a cricketer, a fully qualified orthodontist. He is the first Ken ...

, cricketer *

Basher Hassan Sheikh Basharat "Basher" Hassan (born 24 March 1944) is a retired Kenyan first-class cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club from 1966 to 1985. A right-handed batsman, he made 14,394 runs at an average of 29.07. Biography Af ...

, cricketer *

Aasif Karim Aasif Yusuf Karim (born 15 December 1963) is a Kenyan former cricketer who captained the Kenya national cricket team in One Day International (ODI) cricket. Karim made a reputation for himself as a useful lower-order batsman but predominantly as ...

, cricketer * Frasat Ali Mughal, cricketer *

Shekhar Mehta Chandra Shekhar Mehta (20 June 1945 – 12 April 2006) was a Kenyan rally driver. He was born in Uganda and won the Safari Rally a record five times (1973, 1979–82), including four consecutively, and in 1981 finished fifth in the World Rally ...

, rally driver *

Tanmay Mishra Tanmay Mishra (born 22 December 1986 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian-born Kenyan former cricketer. A right-handed aggressive middle-order batsman, he made his One Day International debut for Kenya in 2006 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. Early li ...

, cricketer *

Hitesh Modi Hitesh Subhash Modi (born 13 October 1971) is a former Kenyan cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler. International career Having made his ODI debut in 1992, Modi had ever been part of the middle order of the te ...

, cricketer * Khaaliqa Nimji, squash player * Dipak Patel, cricketer * Rakep Patel, cricketer * Mehmood Quraishy, cricketer *

Zahid Sadiq Zahid Sadiq (born May 6, 1965) was a Kenyan cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman who played for Surrey County Cricket Club, Surrey from 1988 to 1989 and for Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Derbyshire in 1990. Sadiq played initially for Surr ...

, cricketer *

Jawahir Shah Jawahir Nathoo Shah (9 April 1942 - 15 September 2019) was an East African cricketer. He played three One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international st ...

, cricketer *

Ravindu Shah Ravindu Dhirajlal Shah (born 28 August 1972) is a former Kenyan cricketer. He is a right-handed batman. He was part of Kenya's 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. Domestic career He played 56 One-day Internationals for Kenya and also appeared ...

, cricketer * Reg Sharma, cricketer * Mohammad Sheikh, cricketer * Gurdeep Singh, cricketer *

Joginder Singh Joginder Singh may refer to: * Joginder Singh (soldier) (1921–1962), subedar in the Indian Army ** ''Subedar Joginder Singh'' (film), a 2019 Indian film about him * Joginder Singh (rally driver) (1932–2013), Kenyan rally driver * Joginder Sin ...

, rally driver *

Narendra Thakker Narendra P. Thakker (born 1945) is a former Kenyan cricketer who played internationally for East Africa, including at the 1979 and 1982 ICC Trophies. He played as a wicket-keeper. A regular player for Kenya in regional tournaments, Thakker firs ...

, cricketer *

Qasim Umar Qasim Ali Umar ( ur, ; born 9 February 1957) is a Kenyan-born Pakistani former cricketer. He was the first Black Pakistani cricketer who played in 26 Tests and 31 ODIs between 1983 and 1987 for the Pakistani national cricket team before gettin ...

, cricketer * Hiren Varaiya, cricketer *

Roger Verdi Roger Verdi (born Rajinder Singh Virdee on 4 February 1953) is an English retired professional footballer who spent his entire career in North America, making over 100 league appearances in the North American Soccer League. Early life Verdi wa ...

, footballer *

Shehzana Anwar Shehzana Anwar (born 21 August 1989 in Nairobi) is a female Kenyan recurve archer. She competed in the archery competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she was the Kenyan flagbearer. She was defeated by Ki Bo-bae of Sout ...

, archer * Pushkar Sharma, cricketer.

Other

Ameer Faisal Alavi Major General Ameer Faisal Alavi (28 March 1954 – 19 November 2008) was a Pakistan Army two-star general and special operations expert who was the first General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the elite Special Service Group of Pakistan Army. A f ...

, army officer *

Bali Mauladad Muhammad Iqbal Mauladad (1926–1970), nicknamed Bali, was a big game hunter in Kenya. He was born into a rich and influential family of Kenyan Asians but, rather than joining the family engineering business, he became a professional hunter, ...

, Big-game hunter * Niira Radia, corporate lobbyist * Girdhari Lal Vidyarthi, journalistDurrani, Nazmi, Liberating Minds, Restoring Kenyan History: Anti-Imperialist Resistance by Progressive South Asian Kenyans 1884-1965, Vita Books, 22 Mar 2017, p.71 *

Sanjay Shah :''See also List of people who have lived in airports'' use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered ...

, man who lived in Nairobi Airport for 437 days after being refused an English passport * Aly Kassam-Remtulla, academic and writer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenyan Asian people, List of Kenyan people of Pakistani descent Kenyan people of Indian descent