By Stephen Dunning
The air was fresh and the sunshine warm. The old Dutch fort, its red flag flying from the battlements, was covered with creepers and surrounded by luscious green foliage, a welcome sight after the barren sandy stretches of coast. The shoreline bustled with Swahili and Arab traders, merchants, dock workers, and boatmen.
It was 8 o’clock on the morning of July 13th, 1896. After a month at sea in cramped quarters and accompanied by five military surveyors from the Indian Army, brothers Richard and Arthur had finally arrived in Mombasa on the east coast of Africa. After breakfast and clearance by the port surgeon and British India Company agents, who declared there were no cases of plague on board, Richard and Arthur stepped ashore into what was then known as the British East Africa Protectorate.[1]
In 1896, Mombasa was part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, while the mainland of what is now Kenya was the British East Africa Protectorate. Richard and Arthur joined British, Indian, and African workers building the Kenya-Uganda Railway, a major project linking Mombasa with inland trading centres in the Uganda Protectorate.
In July 2026, one hundred and thirty years later, and nearly 300 miles north-west of Mombasa, Richard and Arthur’s three-times great-nephew landed in the bustling city of Nairobi, stepping off an aeroplane into what is now the independent state of Kenya. The air was thick with anticipation and city noise. The roads were hectic with rush-hour traffic: car horns blared as drivers edged through roundabouts, while motorcycle riders carrying passengers threaded through queues, and street hawkers with their wares on their shoulders strolled between vehicles, making sales through car windows.
At only nine hours, my journey from London was far shorter than my ancestors’ voyage. I spent three weeks in Nairobi on research, funded by a Small Grant from the Social History Society and the Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History from the Royal Historical Society.
My research interrogates the history of nineteenth-century civil engineering technologies and their relationship to imperial and social ideologies in domestic and colonial contexts. The construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway (1896-1901) constitutes my primary colonial case study.
Entrance grounds to the National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi. Photographed by Stephen Dunning (2026).
At the Kenya National Archives, I focused on Kenya Railways Corporation material, including accounts, correspondence, monthly reports, and legislation. I visited the National Museum of Kenya and the Nairobi Railway Museum to examine railway and colonial‑era exhibits. I visited the library and archives of the University of Nairobi and the British Institute in Eastern Africa, focusing on railway reference materials.
After completing my research in Nairobi, I was invited to spend a few days with an old friend in Uganda. My African journey ended with a boat trip around the Ugandan shore of Lake Victoria to visit the source of the River Nile. The lake has many indigenous names, but in Luganda it is known as Nnalubaale, which means ‘home of the Gods’. It is a beautiful place, its waters lapping the tropical forest shores. It was ‘renamed’ by the British in honour of Queen Victoria during the colonial era.
Richard and Arthur spent several years in East Africa, returning to Britain only after the First World War. Meanwhile, another brother, Francis, worked on engineering projects in India and the Caribbean. All three brothers made their careers and spent most of their working lives abroad.
Railway locomotive at Nairobi Railway Museum. Photographed by Stephen Dunning (2026).
I only spent a few weeks in East Africa. Even this short time was an experience I shall never forget and one which will inform my research in innumerable ways. I am deeply grateful for the support of my universities, funders, and the British Institute in Eastern Africa, and I am honoured to have received the Martin Lynn Scholarship and follow in Professor Lynn’s footsteps in developing our understanding of African history.
The mixed-language title for this post, Historia Nnalubaale, is the combination of the Latin word ‘Historia’ – meaning (hi)story – and the Luganda phrase ‘Nnalubaale’ – which means ‘home of the Gods’ and is one of the indigenous names for Lake Victoria. The title reflects the meeting of nineteenth-century European imperial society, obsessed with the classical Greco-Roman world, and the complex, rich indigenous society of Africa, layered with many different tribal communities, religions, and cultures.
Nnalubaale (Lake Victoria) seen from a boat on the River Nile. Photographed by Stephen Dunning (2026).
Our job as historians is to interrogate evidence and bring new historical insights to light. We must navigate the complex nature of the past and its colonial legacies. We must do so with the greatest care, attention, and respect. For the histories we investigate carry the stories of the people who lived before us. Investigating their histories reveals how the past informs the present and reminds us that our own lives, the choices we make and the paths we tread – our stories – will be the histories of tomorrow.
[1] The opening paragraphs are inspired by and partially paraphrased from the journal of Richard James Church (1863-1928), who travelled to East Africa along with his brother Arthur Frederick Church (1868-1939) to work on the construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway. I am a descendant of their brother Francis Henry Church (1865-1928), who worked on engineering projects in India and the Caribbean. I acknowledge the privileged access I have to these family journals. After I complete my research, I will donate them to a public archive for long‑term preservation and access.
About the author
Stephen Dunning (ORCID: 0009-0003-4296-7068) is a doctoral researcher at the University of Exeter, with co-supervision at the University of Southampton. He is affiliated with the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and holds a Research Licence from Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). His research is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWWDTP), the Social History Society (SHS), and the Royal Historical Society (RHS).
This research was supported by the Royal Historical Society’s Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History. Applications for for the Martin Lynn Scholarship are now open, closing on 4 September. If you are interested in applying please read more here: https://royalhistsoc.org/research_funding/postgraduate-research-funding/martin-lynn/
