Chapter 321: The Kitui Coal Mine
Nairobi City.
After months of back-and-forth transport, the machines shipped from the Venice region have finally been reassembled. With the boiler ignited, the roar of machinery now echoes throughout Nairobi City.
Meanwhile, the Austrian commercial delegation that came to East Africa has halted in Mombasa; for the moment, they are not too interested in developing the interior. But there are a handful of daring merchants who want to continue their inspections in more inland areas of East Africa, such as Nairobi and Kisumu.
They decided to part ways with the main delegation and, after consulting with the East African government, were accompanied by officials from Nairobi and Kisumu who would help them complete their inspection.
An Austrian businessman named Ramoscato has shown a keen interest in Nairobi City—the "City of Textiles" that East Africa is planning to build.
The Mayor of Nairobi, Vallejo, said, "Mr. Ramoscato, you see now that what we told you was no exaggeration. In a very short time, Nairobi City can indeed develop. We have already completed the initial phase of industrialization. Here we have the textile industry park built by the Hechingen Daily Goods Company, employing over 5,000 people in textile work. Once more machinery arrives, Nairobi's textile industry will expand further, and the number of textile workers will continue to grow."
Currently, the textile division has not yet separated from the Hechingen Daily Goods Company, so its investment is being handled by that company.
Ramoscato said, "Yes, your efficiency in East Africa is quite high. However, I'd like to know how you plan to ensure this city's energy supply for industrial development."
For Ramoscato, this issue is particularly important. East Africa can certainly run a textile industry, but how viable are the costs? He does not know enough about East Africa, so he wants reliable information from the local government.
Vallejo replied, "There's no need to worry about that. Currently, Nairobi City's energy supply depends mostly on coal from Mbeya City, so the transportation costs are indeed somewhat high. But according to information from the central government, we have recently discovered a coal mine in the vicinity of Kitui Town, located between eastern Nairobi and Mombasa. Preliminary surveys show reserves on the order of millions of tons, enough to satisfy the energy needs of both Nairobi and Mombasa."
In fact, the coal mine near Kitui has more than that. Geological surveyors hired by East Africa have already confirmed reserves of over forty million tons, and there is considerable additional potential. Projections suggest that the total reserves in the Kitui region could surpass one hundred million tons. Besides coal, now that East Africa is investing more heavily in its northern industrial belt and the Lake Malawi Industrial Zone, more and more resources are being discovered. In southeastern Kenya, south of Kitui, the East African government has already found iron ore and is still working on estimating its reserves.
Kitui happens to lie about midway between Mombasa and Nairobi, though somewhat closer to Nairobi. It will prioritize supplying Nairobi, whereas Mombasa will import some coal by sea, partly from Britain's Indian colonies and the Middle East.
Ramoscato said, "But when we came here, we didn't see any such place called Kitui Town along the way."
He had traveled by carriage from Mombasa all the way to Nairobi, never noticing any sign of a settlement called Kitui.
Vallejo explained, "The coal mine near Kitui was only discovered recently, so Kitui Town is still very small—it's not much bigger than a village. Because of the coal discovery, it was upgraded to 'town' status just a month ago. Plus, the road you took runs south of Kitui, leaving some distance between you and the town. That's why you didn't see it."
Ramoscato asked, "Hmm. Might I go have a look at it?"
He still wanted to see Kitui Town for himself. If there really is coal, a quick visit to check for a mine will make everything clear.
Vallejo responded, "Of course you can, but it will take three days from Nairobi to Kitui Town—it's around one hundred kilometers away. The conditions there are pretty rough, so think it over first."
Ramoscato replied, "It's not a problem. I like to confirm anything that concerns me personally. Otherwise, I can't sleep at night."
Since he was so insistent, Vallejo did not argue further. He had simply worried that Ramoscato might not adapt to Kitui Town's conditions. Even now that it's been declared a 'town,' it's still in poor shape. Initially, it was just a small, temporary village of a dozen pastoral families in a place somewhat short on water. East Africa only began developing it rather late, and conditions remain difficult.
Vallejo said, "Alright then. But in that case, wait until you finish your inspection of Nairobi City. After that, we'll send someone with you to see what Kitui Town is like."
Vallejo next took Ramoscato around the downtown area of Nairobi. The city isn't very big, essentially divided into three areas: the Western District, the Eastern District, and the Textile Zone.
The first two are residential. The Eastern District is where the earliest group of Nairobi settlers lived, while the Western District is where newer immigrants settled.
The population in the Eastern District is fairly balanced, but the Western District gives off a strong Italian vibe, clearly the lifestyle of those from Venice who have not fully adapted to living in the East African highlands. Venice is quite humid, whereas Nairobi is dry, and because of the thinner atmosphere at higher altitude, the sunshine is also brighter.
Ramoscato found the Western District to be more novel than the Eastern. Being a native Austrian, this wasn't his first time meeting so many Italians—he had visited Trieste and seen plenty of them living alongside German-speakers. Yet he had never before seen so many Easterners. This Western District combined the influence of Germanic, Italian, and Eastern cultures.
Ramoscato curiously asked, "How many Germans live in the Western District?"
Vallejo said, "We have around seven thousand or so Germans, over forty thousand Italians, and more than thirty thousand Easterners."
The numbers were obviously questionable because, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, all people who emigrated to East Africa got classified as "Germans." In reality, Ramoscato guessed the true number was closer to two thousand. But Vallejo was not about to clarify that.
Still in the dark, Ramoscato asked, "So a majority of these 'Germans' probably come from Austria, right?"
Vallejo replied, "Yes, mainly from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and quite a few from Germany's Saar and Lorraine regions as well."
Ramoscato said, "You've truly done well in attracting immigrants. I've seen many East African recruitment teams while traveling in Austrian and Hungarian rural areas. Over the years, about how many people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire have you brought in?"
Vallejo shook his head: "I really don't know. I'm just a small-time mayor and don't have the kingdom's overall data. Judging by what I see in Nairobi, though, I'd estimate that East Africa has brought in at least 500,000 Austro-Hungarian immigrants. And that's not counting German immigrants."
Vallejo genuinely had no idea of the kingdom's full migration statistics, so his number for Austro-Hungarian immigrants was too modest. The Austro-Hungarian Empire is East Africa's second-largest source of immigrants after the Far East, and its migration numbers have already surpassed one million. Among those, ethnic Germans from Austro-Hungary are second only to the South German states.
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