East Africa's most cosmopolitan city, Nairobi, is Kenya's beating heart, an exciting, maddening concrete jungle that jarringly counterpoints the untrammelled natural beauty to be found elsewhere in the country. Kenya’s largest city and capital, Nairobi implores diversity in romance and puts forward exalted adventure.
Nairobi has experienced one of the highest growth rates of any city in Africa. Since its foundation in 1899, Nairobi has grown to become the second largest city in the African Great Lakes, despite being one of the youngest cities in the region. The growth rate of Nairobi is 4.1% a year. It is estimated that Nairobi's population will reach 5 million in 2025.
As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. As the capital of the country, Nairobi is home to the Kenyan Parliament Buildings, the State House and the Supreme Court Building.
The city lies in the south central part of Kenya, at an elevation of 1,795 metres (5,889 ft). At 1,795 metres (5,889 ft) above sea level, evenings may be cool, especially in the June/July season, when the temperature can drop to 9 °C (48 °F). The sunniest and warmest part of the year is from December to March, when temperatures average in the high-twenties Celsius during the day.
Under the Köppen climate classification, Nairobi has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). As Nairobi is situated close to the equator, the differences between the seasons are minimal. The seasons are referred to as the wet season and dry season.
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The city transformed from a meek camp for the railway employees in the year 1899 to the capital named British East Africa by the year 1907. Nairobi was founded in 1899 by the colonial authorities in British East Africa, as a rail depot on the Uganda Railway. In 1898, Arthur Church was first and foremost commissioned to design the first town layout for the railway depot. The town quickly grew to replace Mombasa as the capital of Kenya in 1907. After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya.
During Kenya's colonial period, the city became a centre for the colony's coffee, tea and sisal industry. Today, the rich retrospective history and tribal culture and lifestyle are brought to life through its excellent and knowledgeable museums. Even in such a scampering city like Nairobi, wildlife is a colossal draw.
Home to thousands of Kenyan businesses and over 100 major international companies and organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), Nairobi is an established hub for business and culture. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is one of the largest in Africa and the second-oldest exchange on the continent. It is Africa's fourth-largest exchange in terms of trading volume, capable of making 10 million trades a day.
Nairobi is situated between the cities of Kampala and Mombasa. As Nairobi is adjacent to the eastern edge of the Rift Valley, minor earthquakes and tremors occasionally occur. The Ngong Hills, located to the west of the city, are the most prominent geographical feature of the Nairobi area. Nairobi's western suburbs stretch all the way from the Kenyatta National Hospital in the south to the UN headquarters at Gigiri suburb in the north, a distance of about 20 kilometres (12 mi). The city is centred on the City Square, which is located in the Central Business District.
Nairobi is divided into a series of constituencies with each being represented by members of Parliament in the National Assembly. The main administrative divisions of Nairobi are Central, Dagoretti, Embakasi, Kasarani, Kibera, Makadara, Pumwani, and Westlands.
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Urban Planning and Development
The colonial 1948 Master Plan for Nairobi still acts as the governing mechanism when it comes to making decisions related to urban planning. Initially, Nairobi was one of the eight provinces in Kenya before 2013. The Nairobi province differed in several ways from other Kenyan regions. Nairobi Province was not divided into "districts" until 2007, when three districts were created. In 2010, along with the new constitution, Nairobi was renamed a county and consolidated into a city-county. The county is entirely urban. Nairobi County has 17 constituencies. Nairobi is divided into 17 constituencies and 85 wards, mostly named after residential estates.
Maybe one day Nairobi will be laid out with tarred roads, with avenues of flowering trees, flanked by noble buildings; with open spaces and stately squares; a cathedral worthy of faith and country; museums and of art; theatres and public offices. And it is fair to say that the Government and the Municipality have already bravely tackled the problem and that a town-plan ambitious enough to turn Nairobi into a thing of beauty has been slowly worked out, and much has already been done.
Companies that have moved from the Central Business District to Upper Hill include Citibank, and in 2007 Coca-Cola began construction of their East and Central African headquarters in Upper Hill, cementing the district as the preferred location for office space in Nairobi. The largest office development in this area is UAP Tower, completed in 2015 and opened for business in July 2016. It is a 33-storey tower 163 meters high. The World Bank and International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, are also located in Upper Hill at the Delta Center, Menegai Road. To accommodate the large demand for floor space in Nairobi, various commercial projects are being constructed.
A large beautification project took place in the Central Business District, as the city prepared to host the 2006 Afri-Cities summit. Nairobi downtown area or central business district is bordered to the southwest by Uhuru Park and Central Park.
To live in this address means coughing Sh 50 million for a house with breakfast, family, TV and study rooms, besides a double carport and two staff quarters in your own half-acre, far from the madding crowd.
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Nairobi is home to the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), one of Africa's largest stock exchanges. The NSE was officially recognised as an overseas stock exchange by the London Stock Exchange in 1953.
Nairobi is the regional headquarters of several international companies and organisations. Several of Africa's largest companies are headquartered in Nairobi. Safaricom, the largest company in Kenya by assets and profitability is headquartered in Nairobi, KenGen, which is the largest African stock outside South Africa, is based in the city.
Nairobi has not been left behind by the FinTech phenomenon that has taken over worldwide. It has produced a couple of tech firms like Craft Silicon, Kangai Technologies, Jambo Pay and Hostraha Limited which have been in the forefront of technology, innovation and cloud based computing services.
Goods manufactured in Nairobi include clothing, textiles, building materials, processed foods, beverages, and cigarettes. Several foreign companies have factories based in and around the city.
Nairobi has grown around its central business district, usually referred to colloquially as "the CBD". This takes a pentagonal shape, around the Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue, Moi Avenue, and University Way. It features many of Nairobi's important buildings, including the City Hall and Parliament Building. Most of the skyscrapers in this region are the headquarters of businesses and corporations, such as I&M and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
In 2011, the city was considered to have about 4 million residents.
Nairobi is undergoing a construction boom. Major real estate projects and skyscrapers are coming up in the city. Among them are the pinnacle twin towers which will tower at 314 m, Britam Tower (200 m), Avic International Africa headquarters (176 m), Prism tower (140 m), Pan Africa insurance towers, Pallazzo offices, and many other projects. Shopping malls are also being constructed like the recently completed Garden city Mall, Centum's Two rivers Mall, The Hub in Karen, Karen waterfront, Thika Greens, and the recently reconstructed Westgate Mall. High-class residential apartments for living are coming up like Le Mac towers, a residential tower in Westlands Nairobi with 23 floors. Avic International is also putting up a total of four residential apartments on Waiyaki way: a 28-level tower, two 24-level towers, and a 25-level tower. Hotel towers are also being erected in the city. Avic International is putting up a 30-level hotel tower of 141 m in the Westlands. The hotel tower will be operated by Marriot group. Jabavu limited is constructing a 35 floor hotel tower in Upper Hill which will be high over 140 metres in the city skyline.
Key Infrastructure Projects
In 1972, the World Bank approved funds for further expansion of the then Nairobi Airport (now Jomo Kenyatta International Airport), including a new international and domestic passenger terminal building, the airport's first dedicated cargo and freight terminal, new taxiways, associated aprons, internal roads, car parks, police and fire stations, a State Pavilion, airfield and roadway lighting, fire hydrant system, water, electrical, telecommunications and sewage systems, a dual carriageway passenger access road, security, drainage and the building of the main access road to the airport (Airport South Road).
On 14 March 1978, construction of the terminal building was completed on the other side of the airport's single runway and opened by President Jomo Kenyatta less than five months before his death.
In November 2012, President Mwai Kibaki opened the KES 31 billion Thika Superhighway. This mega-project of Kenya started in 2009 and ended in 2011. It involved expanding the four-lane carriageway to eight lanes, building underpasses, providing interchanges at roundabouts, erecting flyovers and building underpasses to ease congestion.
In May 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated the Standard Gauge Railway which connects Nairobi to Mombasa. It was primarily built by a Chinese firm with about 90% of total funding from China and about 10% from the Kenyan government. Nairobi has seen several major infrastructure projects in recent years.
Culture and Society
Nairobi is a diverse melting pot of African cultures. Kwani? is Kenya's first literary journal and was established by writers living in Nairobi. Many film makers also practice their craft out of Nairobi. Perhaps the most famous book and film set in Nairobi is Out of Africa. The book was written by Karen Blixen, whose pseudonym was Isak Dinesen, and it is her account of living in Kenya. Karen Blixen lived in the Nairobi area from 1917 to 1931. In 1985, Out of Africa was made into a film, directed by Sydney Pollack. The film won 28 awards, including seven Academy Awards
In the 2019 Census, Christianity was the most widely practiced religion in Nairobi, accounting for 89% of the population, of which the majority belong to Protestant and Evangelical churches.
Given this high population growth, owing itself both to urban migration and high birth rates, the economy has yet to catch up. Nairobi has two informal nicknames.
Discovering Nairobi - A Quick Tour
Parks and Recreation
Nairobi has many parks and open spaces throughout the city. Much of the city has dense tree-cover and plenty of green spaces. The most famous park in Nairobi is Uhuru Park. The park borders the central business district and the neighbourhood Upper Hill. Uhuru (Freedom in Swahili) Park is a centre for outdoor speeches, services, and rallies. The John Michuki Memorial Park is situated along the Nairobi River, stretching from Globe Cinema Roundabout to Museum Bridge.
Nairobi Arboretum, founded in 1907 by E. Karura Forest, the city-based nature reserve, features nature trails, picnic spots, caves and waterfalls. It is an excellent destination for birdwatching as the area is home to over 200 documented bird species. Nairobi City Park, is located between Forest Road and Limuru Road. As one of Nairobi's oldest and most expansive urban green spaces, spanning over 60 hectares, City Park holds considerable ecological value. It preserves one of the last remaining patches of indigenous forest that once blanketed the region.
Oloolua Nature Trail is situated in Oloolua Forest in the Karen area of Nairobi. Ngong Road Forest Santuary contains winding walking and jogging paths that pass through tall trees inhabited by various bird species, with occasional sightings of Sykes monkeys. The area also includes a picnic site and a playground for children. Langata Botanical Gardens is a private recreational garden located along Langata South Road. Nairobi Botanical Gardens is located within the National Museum of Kenya.
The Nairobi Botanical Gardens are organized into themed sections, each highlighting a particular conservation topic. For example, the Children's Garden focuses on botany and habitat, providing a space where visitors can learn about indigenous and exotic plants while enjoying open lawns and an outdoor amphitheater.
Tourist places in Nairobi that are worth visiting are National Museum, Railway Museum, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen, Karura Forest, David Sheldrick Trust Elephant Orphan Centre, Ngong Hills, Blue Sky Tours in Diamond Plaza, Nairobi Arboretum, Panari Sky Centre, Bomas of Kenya, Uhuru Garden, GP Karting, Village Market, Mamba Village, Paintball Fury Limited, Maasai Ostrich Farm, Paradise Lost, August Memorial Park, Kenya National Archives, KICC, Art Centres and Nairobi National Park.
In particular, the museum named Karen Blixen Museum is one of the biggest hits - not only the African fans come to praise and appreciate the museum but also people from all over the world visit the museum to view the namesake Danish author who with drudgeries toiled on the coffee farmstead in the midst of the beautiful Ngong Hills.
The Giraffe Centre, an animal sanctuary on the southwestern outskirts of Nairobi, was opened in 1983.
Even in such a scampering city like Nairobi, wildlife is a colossal draw.
Runda: An Affluent Suburb
Runda is an affluent neighbourhood located in the northern part of Nairobi. The name Runda was borrowed from the name of the coffee estate that existed in the area before it became a residential area; it is not an abbreviation for Reserved United Nations Development Area, as many think; the name "Runda" existed even before the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was formed and decided to have their headquarters in Nairobi in 1972.
It is bounded by Limuru Road to the west, Ruaka Road to the south, Kiambu Road to the east, and coffee plantations to the north. The area encompasses Closeburn Estate, Mimosa and Old Runda to the west, Mumwe and Whispers to the south, and New Runda and Muringa to the east. Recent developments have seen the greater Runda area expand and now include such developments as Runda Mhasibu and Runda Paradise to the north. It is separated from Nairobi city centre by the 2,500-acre Karura Forest. The landscape in Runda Estate ranges between 1,690 meters above sea level in low lying areas to 1,727 meters above sea level in elevated areas.
Most of the upmarket suburbs are situated to the west and north-central of Nairobi, where most European settlers resided during the colonial times AKA 'Ubabini'. These include Karen, Langata, Lavington, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Brookside, Spring Valley, Loresho, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Hurlingham, Runda, Kitisuru, Nyari, Kyuna, Lower Kabete, Westlands, and Highridge, although Kangemi, Kawangware, and Dagoretti are lower income areas close to these affluent suburbs.
Property in Runda ranks among the most exclusive and expensive in the country. Runda was developed in 1972 by the project due to demand when the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters was built in Gigiri in the early 1970s.
Runda can thank its exclusive status to the late Dr Njoroge Mungai, and Joseph Odero-Jowi. Dr Mungai was Foreign Affairs minister, while Odera-Jowi was Kenya’s ambassador to the UN. They both lobbied for the UNEP headquarters to be located in Nairobi. That meant the UN had to fund UNEP headquarters from 1972. Today, Mae Properties is owned by Pan Africa Life Assurance, but did you know the name is an acronym for the original three partners - Mathu, Andrew and Elia? Eliud Mathu served for 13 years there, but lost the 1957 elections.
Mae Ridge in Runda, Nairobi, is an upscale estate that was designed by Triad and Beglin Woods Architects and developed by Mae Properties.
If you want to build a house in Runda Estate, Nairobi, live in Runda, or visit Runda, there are certain rules you must follow. Apparently, this is not an estate for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. This is according to a set of rules that have surfaced online on the dos and don’ts of living in Runda. In addition, loitering in the estate is prohibited. If you drive into the estate, the maximum speed allowed is 30 kilometres per hour. For those seeking to build or rehabilitate their houses, all construction works during the weekend are banned. During this period, trucks and other construction equipment is banned from traversing anywhere within the estate. The estate has also banned matatus from entering through its gates.
Runda is one of the suburbs of the city of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya. Recent developments has seen the greater Runda area expand and now include such developments as Runda Mhasibu and Runda Paradise to the north.
Table of Key Events in Nairobi's History
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1899 | Nairobi founded as a rail depot on the Uganda Railway |
| 1907 | Nairobi replaces Mombasa as the capital of British East Africa |
| 1963 | Nairobi becomes the capital of the Republic of Kenya |
| 1972 | UNEP headquarters established in Nairobi |
| 1978 | Construction of the new passenger terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport completed |
| 2012 | Thika Superhighway opens |
| 2017 | Standard Gauge Railway connecting Nairobi to Mombasa inaugurated |
A montage of Nairobi, Kenya
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