Chapter 321: Kitui Coal Mine
In Nairobi City, after several months of preparation, the machine transported from the Venice area was finally reassembled and operational. The roar of the machinery marked a significant step in Nairobi's industrialization.
An Austrian business delegation had arrived in East Africa and initially focused their attention on coastal areas like Mombasa. However, they were less inclined to venture further inland to places like Nairobi and Kisumu. Instead, they decided to leave the mission but were accompanied by East African government officials to complete their inspection.
One of the Austrian businessmen, Ramoscato, expressed keen interest in Nairobi, particularly the textile city that was under planning and construction.
Varejao, the Mayor of Nairobi, explained, "Mr. Ramoscato, as you can see, our initial plans for developing Nairobi are indeed bearing fruit. We have rapidly industrialized this city, and over 5,000 people are already employed in the textile industry within the industrial park established by Heixingen Commodity Company. With more machinery and equipment arriving, the textile industry in Nairobi will further expand, providing more employment opportunities."
Currently, the textile sector was not yet independent from Heixingen Commodity Company, so investments were handled by the company itself.
Ramoscato inquired about the city's energy supply, a critical factor for industrial development. He wanted to understand the cost implications for operating industries in Nairobi.
Varejao assured him, saying, "Energy supply is not a concern. Nairobi's energy primarily relies on coal resources from Mbeya City. Although transportation costs are relatively high, we have recently discovered a coal mine in the Nairobi East and Mombasa area near the town of Kituyi. Preliminary estimates suggest that it contains one million tons of coal, sufficient to meet the energy demands of Nairobi and Mombasa."
Furthermore, geological prospectors believed that the Kituyi area had substantial coal potential, and it was predicted that coal reserves would exceed 100 million tons.
Ramoscato was intrigued and expressed his desire to visit Kitui Town to verify the presence of coal himself.
Varejao agreed but cautioned, "The journey from Nairobi to Kitui Town takes three days, covering a distance of 100 kilometers. The conditions there are currently quite basic, so please consider this carefully."
Ramoscato insisted on going to Kitui Town to confirm the presence of coal resources personally.
With that settled, Varejao continued to show Ramoscato around Nairobi. The city was divided into three main areas: West District, East District, and the textile park.
The West and East Districts served as residential areas, with the West District predominantly inhabited by Italian immigrants. Ramoscato was particularly curious about the West District due to the Italian influence.
Ramoscato asked about the number of Germans residing in the West District, to which Varejao replied, "We have around 7,000 Germans, 40,000 Italians, and 30,000 Orientals."
In reality, the number of Germans from the Austro-Hungarian Empire was likely around 2,000, but Varejao didn't reveal this detail.
Ramoscato then inquired about the origin of most German residents in the West District, and Varejao explained, "Most of the German residents come from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with a considerable number from the Saarland and Lorraine regions in Germany."
Ramoscato acknowledged the success of East African immigration efforts and mentioned that he had seen similar initiatives in Austria and Hungary.
Varejao, being unaware of the overall immigration statistics for the kingdom, estimated conservatively that there were over 500,000 immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to East Africa. This estimate didn't include German immigrants.
As their conversation continued, Varejao shared insights into the kingdom's immigration efforts and the diverse composition of Nairobi's population.
The chapter concluded with Ramoscato's exploration of Nairobi and his impending visit to Kitui Town to inspect the newly discovered coal mine.