Nairobi more than a century on

More than a century old (110 years old this Christmas), The Norfolk Hotel opened its doors to guests on Christmas 1904.

Since then many a guest has walked through, including Teddy Roosevelt after finishing his term as president of USA. He couldn’t wait to escape to Africa for a hunting safari.

“Such was the growth of the safari business that between 1895 and 1910, together with ivory exports it was the country’s principle source of revenue.” I’m reading this in the coffee-table book entitled ‘The Norfolk’ by Stephen Mills, while seated in the beautifully manicured garden at the Norfolk Hotel amidst the tall sky-scrapers of Nairobi today.

Yet it is a far cry from the yesteryears when lions were seen by the front porch and hippos came out of the river at night to browse behind the hotel.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO NORFOLK

I’m relishing the story of how it all began. In 1898, a 30-year-old assistant railway engineer called Arthur Fredrick Church was commissioned by George Whitehouse, the chief engineer of the Uganda Railway to prepare a town layout for the railway depot at ‘Nyrobe’, the town (not city as we know Nairobi today).

The town was planned two streets wide, enough for turning three-axle ox-carts. One street became known as Victoria Street which is today’s Tom Mboya Street and the other - understandably was named Station Road which morphed into Government Road in 1901. It is now called Moi Avenue. Both lead from the railway station and across town to the Norfolk.

Soon after the Norfolk was built, another interesting venture was taking shape in what was to become today’s Nairobi Museum.

By 1910, a group of enthusiastic naturalists under the name East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society (which morphed into the East African Natural History Society) needed space to store their specimens and the first museum was created at the site that is today’s Nyayo House. It was only in 1929 that the present museum was built.

The Nairobi Museum is within easy reach – a 15 minute walk up a hill and over the river that gave Nairobi its name. It’s always fascinating to drop into the museum with its many galleries exploring all things Kenyan.

Back at the Norfolk for a light lunch on the terrace I watch everyday life go by the space in front that used to be the ‘plains’.

Now I’m looking at the new sky-high block taking shape on the grounds of the University Of Nairobi, Kenya’s largest university, which was then known as the Royal Technical College.

I stop at the sculpture of the Fountain of Knowledge, built in honour of DrYajnik who raised more than Sh63 million back then to establish the institution. Another life-size memorial of Mahatma Gandhi graces the bookshop.

GREEN SPACE

Crossing the road into the CBD, Nairobi is a mix of the old and new jostling side by side with bumper-to-bumper traffic – again super sleek vehicles mixing with old ones.

Soon I’m at Jeevanjee Gardens that was started by Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee in 1904 and in 1906 donated to the people of Nairobi. It is a beautiful green space in the heart of Nairobi.

Out of the garden and on to Moi Avenue, I get to the National Archives in 10 minutes. Tom Mboya’s life-size statue stands near where he was assassinated in 1969. He was one of Kenya’s nationalist figures who spearheaded Kenya’s talks for independence.

Next door inside the National Archives, it is a delight to browse through the Murumbi Gallery -- named after Joseph Murumbi, the second vice president of Kenya. It is currently the largest Pan-African art gallery in Africa with ancient art collections from different regions and communities of Africa.

An hour later, I find myself at the Nairobi Railway Station where the story of Nairobi began. At the Railway Museum, I admire the original steam locomotives that were specifically designed to tackle the steep gradients of the rift.

Walking back to the Norfolk, l take a different route – this time passing the Parliament buildings, the Kenyatta International Convention Centre with the statue of the founding father, and past the Hilton Hotel where Dedan Kimathi’s, one of Kenya’s most celebrated freedom fighters, statue now stands.

Back at the Norfolk on Harry Thuku Street, named after a nationalist figure, there’s so much more to discover about beautiful architecture, art and the soul of the city.

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City with rich history

Nairobi is derived from the Maasai word for the area Uaso en Airobe which means river of cold water, after the stream that bisected the small town, which by 1906 had a population of 11,512.

If you want to explore the city further, here are some useful websites that can point you in the right direction: www.nairobi.go.ke