________________ Chapter 22. Early Settlement in East Africa 117 The Oshwal flow increased during the 1920s A.D. and especially 1930s A.D. The big firms would recruit people as the need arose. Meghji Ladha & Co., with branches in Mombasa, Nairobi and fifteen other places in East Africa by 1920 A.D., willingly accommodated free of charge anyone coming from India and provided food and lodging free of charge until employment was found. Almost every Oshwal family had a close relative overseas. Some who migrated were very young 12 or 13 years old. The main businesses of Oshwals were provision and clothing shops. The main industries owned by non-Oshwals were soda and ice factories, timber sawmills, and flourmills. Indians played a pivot role in opening the continent of Africa to the rest of the world.
