The British Uganda Programme, also known as the Uganda Scheme, was a proposal by the British Empire to establish a semi-autonomous Jewish territory in British East Africa. Conceived during the height of European imperial expansion, the plan emerged from Britain's strategic interests in developing the East Africa Protectorate and offsetting the financial burdens of the newly built Uganda Railway. It was promoted to Theodor Herzl by Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain as a potential refuge for Jews fleeing antisemitic violence in Eastern Europe, particularly following the Kishinev pogrom.