All through the 16th century, the Portuguese burnt and looted the Mombasa port in an attempt to capture it. Four times they tried, and four times they failed. In 1589 they had a breakthrough and the Portuguese headquarters was relocated from Malindi to their new territory. Their first order of business was to build Fort Jesus in order to control the town and the surrounding coastline.
But their reign would only last approximately a century.
Mombasa was popular and known by many peoples. When the Omanis heard of the of prosperous island, they too wanted to claim rulership. And they knew that defeating the Portuguese army wouldn’t be an easy battle. At the time, Oman – under the leadership of the Yarubi family – had conquered the Makran coast on the southern fringes of the Persian Gulf. Due to this political relationship, many members of the Baluchi community who lived in Makran joined the special forces branch of the Omani military. Thus, Baluchi soldiers were hired and tactfully took on the Portuguese who took refuge within the fort by surrounding it and cutting off their food and water supply. Slowly, the Portuguese died from hunger and disease. In 1698 the Baluchi soldiers successfully took control of the fort in the name of the Sultan.
The soldiers settled along the East African coast and continued military work for Saif bin Sultan Al Yarubi, the reigning Sultan, helping him consolidate his rule in the region. They maintained army posts in the major centers of Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar and Pemba. Soon after the Baluchi-Omani migration, families followed suit, and left Balochistan for East Africa. They hoped to capitalize on the thriving maritime trade and better their lives. With this new crop of people, cultures interacted and there were marriages between the Baluchi, the Waswahili and the Arabs.
In the early 18th century, a dynastic change occurred in Oman after the death of Sultan bin Saif Al Yarubi II, who had succeeded his father – Saif bin Sultan Al Yarubi. bin Saif’s son and rightful successor was only twelve years old at the time of his death, so most people considered him too young to rule. This brought about a struggle between different religious leaders in Oman, each of whom rallied behind different political contenders. A civil war ensued and lasted until 1749 when Ahmed bin Said Al Busaidi, a successful coffee merchant who had worked under the Al Yarubi as the governor of Suhar, launched a bid for power and succeeded.
Thus, the Busaidi family deposed of the Yarubi rulers and took control of the empire. At the time, the Omani ruled East Africa through a system of locally based hereditary governors. The Mazrui clan, who were the rulers of Mombasa, were loyal to the Al Yarubi and when the Al Busaidi dethroned them, the Mazrui declared themselves independent rulers of Mombasa. The Baluchi soldiers sided with the Al Busaidi and continued to fight for their restoration to power. This earned them lasting trust with the Sultan who then deployed them to guard his palaces and interests in the region. In 1837, under the leadership of Seyyid Said Al Busaidi, they won Mombasa and Fort Jesus back from the Mazrui.
When British rule in Mombasa began in the late 19th century, the Al Busaidi had a lot to gain as both empires had a long-standing relationship. The British put an end to the Mazrui claim of rulership and administered the coast with the help of the Al Busaidi. In return, the Sultan handed over control of Fort Jesus and disbanded his Baluchi garrison. The British made provisions for the Baluchi soldiers to acquire land in Mombasa. The soldiers were first settled just off Treasury Square behind Standard Bank, but in 1914 they were resettled on land near the Mbaruk Mosque behind the Old Town. They named the place Makadara tul Rahman which means “The abode provided by Allah the Beneficent.” The road that runs through this region took on the name Makadara Road and has remained so to date.
