Karimjee family

The Karimjee family are a Tanzanian business family of Indian origin that are the majority shareholders of Karimjee Jivanjee Ltd. Since the 1800s, Karimjee family business ventures have included trade, agriculture, real estate and motor vehicles. Members of the Karimjee family participated in public life with Abdulkarim Yusufali Alibai Karimjee serving as Speaker of the National Assembly from 1956 to 1962. Karimjee Hall was donated by the family to the Dar es Salaam Municipal Council in 1955. It was used at various times as the Legislative Assembly and the Houses of Parliament.

History
The Karimjee family came to Zanzibar when Jivanjee Budhaboy emigrated in the 19th Century from Mandvi, Gujarat. He established a company, Jivanjee Budhaboy & Co., in 1825. Jivanjee Budhaboy & Co sold copra and cloves to India and brought American and German cloth to East Africa.

Jivanjee Budhaboy had four sons, three of whom are in the family records as adults: Ebrahimjee, Esmailjee and Karimjee Jivanjee (1826–1898).

The three brothers separated their business interests in 1861 and Karimjee Jivanjee set up his own business in Zanzibar, Karimjee Jivanjee & Co. He had four sons: Abdulhussein Karimjee Jivanjee (1870–1892), Hassanali Karimjee Jivanjee (1872–1918), Mohamedali Karimjee Jivanjee (1876–1940), and Yusufali Karimjee Jivanjee (1882–1966).

Karimjee Jivanjee & Co continued to operate as Zanzibar became a British Protectorate in 1820 and Tanganyika followed suit in 1919 after the end of World War I. The company traded mainly in agricultural products and textiles, importing goods from Germany, India and the Far East and exporting goods to those same countries as well as The Seychelles, Mauritius and Ceylon. Karimjee Jivanjee & Co owned a vast fleet of dhows which were used especially to trade with ports up and down the Swahili Coast.

Growth and diversification
Between 1915 and 1925, Karimjee Jivanjee & Co. established branch offices in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam Tanga, Lindi, and Mikindani. After Hassanali’s death in 1918, his son Tayabali Hassanali Karimjee (1897-1987) took up his duties. Mohamedali and Tayabali continued to deal with the company affairs in Zanzibar. Tayabali was active in public life, charity and trade associations, earning him a nomination in the Legislative Council in 1932. In 1937, Tayabali Hassanali Karimjee was awarded the Order of The Brilliant Star of Zanzibar.