Hausburg, a farmer in Cowden, Kent, agreed to accompany Halford Mackinder, his step uncle, on an expedition to the summit of Mt. Kenya in 1899. The expedition had a grant from the Royal Geographical Society and Mackinder and Hausburg shared the rest of the expenses. Hausburg, an amateur photographer, also acted as expedition photographer and camp-master. The party of six Europeans, including two Swiss guides, reached Nairobi in Jul and then marched through Murang'a to Laikipia, ascending the mountain in mid-Aug and returning via Naivasha at the end of Sep. See 'A Journey to the Summit of Mount Kenya', by H.J. Mackinder, The Geographical Journal, No. 5, Vol. XV, May 1900.

Hausburg was so impressed by Kenya that, before leaving, he invested in about 4000 acres of land at Punda Milia in Makuyu District. He returned in 1904 to develop the land with two partners, Randall Swift, the son of a friend who worked for him, and Ernest Rutherford; both had worked at the Mortlake Brewery. Cotton, groundnuts, and other crops were tried without success before they hit upon sisal, which they acquired from German East Africa. Hausburg, who also had investments in other Kenya estates, including coffee at Saba Saba, did not stay long, although he remained an investor. The Company of Swift, Rutherford and Co. Ltd. was registered in 1908.