Nairobi Series: The City in Times Past
The history of Kenya’s capital dates back to 1899 when the British cleared out the Maasai to build the Looney Express.
The Looney Express
The Looney (or Lunatic) Express was the nickname given to the Uganda Railway, a project of the British colonizers who chose it for two main reasons. The primary reason was that it connected Mombasa in the East with the rubber tappers of Kampala. The other reason was that it had an elevated position and abundant water supply, which got it its name.
Nairobi comes from the Maasai phrase ‘Enkare Nyrobi’, which translates to ‘cool water’.
The cool temperature was a welcome relief from the hot Mombasa coastal sun the British had to contend with as they built the railway line from Mombasa to Uganda.
This railway line, meant to connect the East African interior with the rest of the world, had been named the “Lunatic Express” by skeptics doubting its economic worth. However, the Looney express camp would prove them wrong.
With the railway line complete, the history of Nairobi continued when the British moved their administrative headquarters from the hot and humid town of Mombasa to the cooler, swampy town of Nairobi, thus making Nairobi the capital of British East Africa. In 1919, the Nairobi municipal community formally became the Nairobi City Council.
Its boundary was extended to include surrounding part-urban settlements. The boundary was again extended in 1927 to cover 30 square miles (48 sq.km). Geographically, the city of Nairobi now occupies approximately 425 square miles (684 sq.km).
Fight for Independence
During the struggle against British colonialism, the city served as an important meeting point for political activists to get together and compare notes.
In 1906, the city had a population of 10,512. Nairobi was the heart around which the predominantly agricultural economy pulsated. People kept streaming to the city.
Businesses developed and thrived and the town grew in leaps and bounds. The population was mainly comprised of English settlers, Asians and ethnic communities of the Kikuyu and Kamba whose origins were in close proximity to the city. The Maasai had been relocated by the British a few years earlier to pave wave for settler occupation.
The beautiful green foliage and the fact that Nairobi is the only city with a national park within its boundaries earned it the dual identity of “the green city in the sun” and “the safari capital of the world”. Any safari tour to see Kenya’s world famous game animals begins in Nairobi.
Before independence, Nairobi was a popular place for big game hunters to begin their hunting expeditions.
This proved so popular that famous writer Ernest Hemmingway visited in a quest to bag some game. Indeed, in the early part of the 20th century, Nairobi was the hunting capital of the world.
Towards the end of World War II, the strife resulted into a Mau Mau Uprising. There was pressure on the British from the local people that led to Kenyan Independence in 1963. Nairobi became the capital of the new republic.
Did You Know?
Nairobi was nicknamed ‘The Green City under the Sun’ by the well-heeled tourists who flocked to the city in the 1920’s.
It was home to Swedish writer Karen Blixen who wrote Out of Africa here. A suburb of Nairobi, Karen, is now named in her honour.
Sub Saharan International Model United Nations (SAIMUN) is a five-day international relations simulation for both high school and university/college students that is held annually at the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) Gigiri. The international meeting attended by more than 800 students from all over the world, in which they debate the major issues of the international political agenda.
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