Chapter 122: Northern Development
February 11, 1868.
Omerate Town, located on the eastern bank of the Omo River in Kenya, is currently the northernmost settlement of the East African colonies.
Under the full support of the Nairobi government, large numbers of immigrants were quickly transported to this area. The current population is over eight hundred.
The Nairobi government organized all its vehicles to transfer these immigrants, who landed at Mombasa and traveled westward to Nairobi, onward to Omerate.
Alas, the Nairobi government—under the unified strategy for East Africa—has gained little, being continually asked to assist other parts of Kenya, slowing its own development.
As the capital of Kenya in a previous life, Nairobi now shares the same sad fate as Dodoma, the previous capital of Tanzania—both overshadowed. The more glorious these places were in the previous life, the more neglected they appear now.
Of course, Dodoma, having been developed earlier, is faring somewhat better than Nairobi, at least having built up sufficient population. Nairobi, still in its initial stages, saw some residents diverted north to build coffee plantations, and now again it is forced to support the development of Omerate.
These two cities, so splendid in the previous life, simply can't compare to that status here—and that is the reality of the East African colonies. The farther from the center, paradoxically, the faster the development of local cities. Meanwhile, cities in central areas develop more slowly.
Omerate, once again, is one such peripheral city.
Set up as the first foothold of East Africa on the Omo River, Omerate was staked out before local indigenous tribes could even be cleared.
As for why Omerate was chosen as the northernmost frontier city, it's mainly because of its favorable geographic environment—flat land, easy to develop.
Further north along the Omo River are mountainous and high-altitude areas that are difficult to cultivate. The upper reaches of the Omo River meander so severely that even "winding a thousand times" is an understatement.
No wonder Ethiopia in a later era built hydroelectric stations in its upper reaches—the hydropower potential is indeed large.
Omerate sits just south of the Omo River Delta and about thirty kilometers from Lake Turkana.
There's a native fishing population in the delta area, so Omerate's site is slightly north of that, to avoid the local tribes around the Omo River Delta.
This location is excellent; unlike the low-lying delta prone to flooding, its farmland is very fertile thanks to the Omo River. As the local tribes have no systematic farming, the land has remained undeveloped. With thousands of years of accumulated nutrients, both sides of the river are rich and fertile.
From the moment Omerate Town was founded, following the same old pattern used in East Africa's expansion, the local land was "fenced off," and the original inhabitants within that boundary would eventually be "invited" to leave.
Once enclosed, the land effectively becomes the colony's property. It's the same approach Ernst used for all of Tanganyika (the inland highlands region): founding major cities like Mwanza, Kigoma, Mbeya, Karonga, and so on, encircling Tanganyika and isolating it from other forces.
Then, bringing in immigrants to claim all the land within. Eventually, the entire Tanganyika region fell into East Africa's hands.
Kenya, by contrast, was seized by military means; hence it didn't require that same approach.
Now, with Omerate Town established, that model of expansion is once again in play.
From the moment Omerate was built, it effectively blocked the various forces of Ethiopia (including the Empire of Abyssinia) from any access south into northern Kenya.
Once villages subordinate to Omerate are set up, the routes of contact or entry from these external powers into northern Kenya are cut off.
Hence, the extensive land around Lake Turkana (around 500,000 square kilometers) is destined to fall into the colony's hands. The East African colonies can slowly absorb the intervening territory from both north (Omerate) and south (Nairobi).
Lake Turkana, being saline, is surrounded by relatively few tribes or inhabitants. With them isolated and without external aid, they become lambs to be slaughtered.
Annual rainfall along the Omo River ranges between 1,500 mm and 2,000 mm, so the downstream area around Omerate doesn't lack water. This region is ideal for large-scale rice cultivation to feed the influx of immigrants.
South of Omerate, including the Lake Turkana area and northern Kenya, is not suitable for large-scale grain farming. It's an interwoven mosaic of deserts and grasslands, hence designated as pastureland by the East African administration.
In East Africa, using land for grazing is the least profitable. This entire East African plateau has a tropical savanna climate and no shortage of grassland; the south also gets ample rainfall and has more abundant grass.
Moreover, huge tracts of land across East Africa remain undeveloped. Even the heavily populated coastal zone has vast expanses of grassland and forest.
So from the colony's perspective, northern Kenya's natural conditions aren't particularly valuable, and it's only for the purpose of populating and securing the borders that it's given some priority for ranching.
Still, raising livestock is not so simple. Under East African policy, "armed grazing" is standard.
Outside the Sahara Desert, which is truly barren, nearly every other region in Africa teems with wildlife. Even the Kalahari in the south is a paradise for wild animals.
No matter how poor conditions in northern Kenya may be, wildlife is still abundant—lions, leopards, hyenas, etc.
Because East Africa plans to turn northern Kenya into a major ranching area with a relatively small human population, those numbers are dwarfed by the wildlife.
And these wild animals pose a threat to colonial livestock. This era has no large-scale barbed wire or electric fences to keep wildlife out.
Even if such fencing existed, the colony couldn't afford it under current economic conditions. What resource is abundant in East Africa? Guns.
Carrying guns while herding is far cheaper and safer, and the colony can produce a modest number of firearms.
The colonial government's approach is to identify suitable grazing land, organize people to hunt down wild animals in the designated ranch area, and eradicate them. Then, immigrants form herding groups, each responsible for its area.
Because herdsmen are not the same as farmers, each herder is equipped with a firearm to fend off wild animals or attacks by "wild natives."
Moreover, should any native intruders wander into ranchland, the herders are obliged to capture them so the authorities can transport them south en masse.
Hence, as ranches and farms are gradually laid out across northern Kenya, local tribes will find themselves with ever-shrinking living space. Should they resist or trespass onto ranchland, the East African colony will arrest them.
When the day comes that ranches, plantations, etc., blanket Kenya, it will also mark the total clearing of the native population.
That's the rough but effective plan for northern Kenya's development under the East African colony.
Unlike the rest of northern Kenya's vast territory, Omerate has its own unique political and economic importance.
It's an agricultural zone near Ethiopia and extends northwest toward Sudan, so it has considerable strategic and economic value.
Securing this region also addresses long-term concerns. Much like how the U.S. worried about illegal immigration from Latin America, East Africa will face a similar issue.
While Ethiopia's northern population is partly Arabic or North African with lighter skin, southern Ethiopia and Somalia have a majority of people with very dark skin. For Ernst, who is committed to "clearing" Black populations, this is a real threat.
From Ernst's past-life perspective, people of very dark skin are always conspicuous (except in the dark of night). To ensure the East African colony remains free of Black populations, simply expelling local Black people within colonial borders is insufficient.
He must also guard the neighboring regions where these backward tribes live; otherwise, these areas will be a constant source of new arrivals into East Africa. And knowing how bureaucrats and capitalists operate, they might someday welcome them in.
Much like American politicians granting legal status to illegal immigrants from Latin America—a policy that ultimately hurt only the lower classes of the U.S. (the government intentionally fosters competition among the masses, and those migrants often align with the powers that be… in any event, for the elite it's all profit, but for the ordinary citizens it's all harm).
Even if they drive the U.S. into ruin, the well-connected upper class can always relocate abroad with their capital and armed resources.
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