Biographical Reminiscences

Israel Somen was born in 1903 to a Jewish family from South Africa. His parents died while he was still in school, and by age twelve Somen was working full time. In 1926, he found work with the East African Railway and had the opportunity to travel the world. Based in the small Jewish community in Nairobi, Somen married his wife in 1931. He describes the influx of Jewish immigrants to Kenya, 1936-39, and his part in negotiating funds for refugees from his contacts in the sporting world and from his travels abroad. During WWII, Somen fought with the Jewish Brigade in Palestine where he met Moshe Sharett and formed a lifelong bond. After WWII, he became president of the Kenyan Jewish Board of Directors, eventually leading to his appointment as Honorary Consul of Israel in 1950. In 1955, Somen was elected the Mayor of Nairobi for two terms after acting as Deputy Mayor for two years prior. Somen describes his own involvement in the history of Jews in Kenya during this period. He recounts meeting and assisting the Jewish detainees in the Gigil Internment Camp, facing the Mau-Mau uprising, creating alliances after Israeli independence and stepping down after Kenyan independence.