Manilal Ambalal Desai (1878 – 26 July 1926) was an Indian born activist and journalist who played a prominent role in Kenyan politics during the 1920s.

Early life

Desai was born to a family of landowners in

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

, part of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He was educated at the Mission High School and began his career as clerk at a law firm in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Kenya

In 1915, he emigrated to

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

, then known as the East Africa Protectorate, to work as a law clerk with Harrison, Salmon and Cresswell.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185 A keen cigar smoker, upon being told that only Europeans could smoke cigars at his workplace, he resigned from his job and committed to enter politics.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185 He began to work with Indian associations, and was chosen by

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 ...

to help reinvigorate the East African Indian National Congress. In 1919, he started the East African Chronicle, a popular critique of the colonial government. Desai became close friends with

Harry Thuku Harry Thuku (1895 – 14 June 1970) was a Kenyan politician, one of the pioneers in the development of modern African nationalism in Kenya. He helped found the Young Kikuyu Association and the East African Association before being arrested and ...

, founder of the

Young Kikuyu Association The Young Kikuyu Association (YKA) was formed in Kenya on 10 June 1921, as a break away organisation from the Kikuyu Association (KA). In July 1921 it was renamed the East Africa Association (EAA). Harry Thuku Harry Thuku (1895 – 14 June 1 ...

, allowing him to share his office and print his broadsheet Tangazo on the Chronicle's printing press.Brückenhaus, Daniel. "Identifying Colonial Subjects: Fingerprinting in British Kenya, 1900–1960." Geschichte Und Gesellschaft 42, no. 1 (2016): 60-85. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24891235. When Thuku was arrested, Desai took care of Thuku's elderly mother.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185 Desai's friendship with Thuku resulted in him increasingly voicing his support of African grievances in the Chronicle.Brückenhaus, Daniel. "Identifying Colonial Subjects: Fingerprinting in British Kenya, 1900–1960." Geschichte Und Gesellschaft 42, no. 1 (2016): 60-85. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24891235. He became a member of the Nairobi Town Council and rose to become president of the Nairobi Indian Association. In 1922, he was elected president of the East African Indian National Congress.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185 The following year, together with Jeevanjee, he represented the Indian community in a delegation to London for an audience with the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

. The meeting resulted in the

Devonshire White Paper The Devonshire White Paper or Devonshire Declaration was a document written in 1923 by the colonial secretary Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, regarding the status of settlers and natives in the Kenya Colony, and East Africa more broadly. ...

, which whilst failed to meet Indian demands, also rejected the European settlers demands for dominion status in favour of African Paramountcy.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185 In 1924, Desai spent six weeks in prison for participating in a campaign to boycott participation in a poll tax. The following year, he was nominated to the Legislative Council.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185

Death

Whilst on an official tour to

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

to raise funds, he suffered a heart attack and died on 26 July 1926.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Dictionary of African Biography, Volumes 1-6, OUP USA, 2 Feb 2012, p.185

Legacy

The Desai Memorial Hall in Nairobi was constructed in his memory, however has since been demolished

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Manilal Ambalal 1878 births 1926 deaths People from British India British Kenya people Kenyan people of Gujarati descent Kenyan people of Indian descent