Nairobi National Park, national park, in south-central Kenya, 5 miles (8 km) … Contact online >>
Nairobi National Park, national park, in south-central Kenya, 5 miles (8 km)
Nairobi (/naɪˈroʊbi/ ny-ROH-bee) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to ''place of cool waters'', a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census.[7][8] The city is commonly referred to as ''The Green City in the Sun''.[9]
Nairobi is home of the Kenyan Parliament Buildings and hosts thousands of Kenyan businesses and key international companies and organisations, 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 stock exchanges in Africa and the second-oldest exchange on the continent. It is Africa''s fourth-largest stock exchange in terms of trading volume, capable of making 10 million trades a day. It also contains the Nairobi National Park. Nairobi joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2010.
Nairobi was founded in 1899 by colonial authorities in British East Africa, as a rail depot on the Uganda - Kenya Railway. It was favoured by the authorities as an ideal resting place due to its high elevation, temperate climate, and adequate water supply.[10] The town quickly grew to replace Mombasa as the capital of Kenya in 1907.[11]
After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya.[12] During Kenya''s early period, the city became a centre for the coffee, tea and sisal industries.[13][14] The city lies in the south central part of Kenya, at an elevation of 1,795 metres (5,889 ft).
During the pre-colonial era, the people of modern Kenya mostly lived in villages amongst their tribes and cultural groups, where they had rulers within their communities rather than one singular government or leader.[19]
Between 1902 and 1910, the town''s population rose from 5,000 to 16,000 and grew around administration and tourism, initially in the form of big game hunting.[24] In 1907, Nairobi replaced Mombasa as the capital of the East Africa Protectorate.[25] In 1919, Nairobi was declared to be a municipality.[26][27]
In 1921, Nairobi had 24,000 residents, of which 12,000 were native Africans.[28] The next decade saw growth in native African communities in Nairobi, and they began to constitute a majority for the first time.[28] This growth caused planning issues, described by Thorntorn White Archived 22 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine and his planning team as the "Nairobi Problem".[29] In February 1926, colonial officer Eric Dutton passed through Nairobi on his way to Mount Kenya, and said of the city:
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. But until that plan has borne fruit, Nairobi must remain what she was then, a slatternly creature, unfit to queen it over so lovely a country.[30]
After World War II, continuous expansion of the city angered both the indigenous Maasai and Kikuyu.[31] This led to the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950s, and the Lancaster House Conferences, which initiated a transition to Kenyan independence in 1963.
In the spring of 1950, the East African Trades Union Congress (EAUTC) led a nine-day general strike in the city.[32][33]
Nairobi remained the capital of Kenya after independence, and its continued rapid growth put pressure on the city''s infrastructure with power cuts and water shortages becoming a common occurrence.
The Giraffe Centre, an animal sanctuary on the southwestern outskirts of Nairobi, was opened in 1983. To this day, it breeds the endangered species of Rothschild''s giraffe.
The United States Embassy, then located in downtown Nairobi, was bombed in August 1998 by Al-Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, as one of a series of US embassy bombings. It is now the site of a memorial park.[36]
On 20 October 2011, a memorial statue was unveiled in Nairobi in memory to Tom Mboya, a former Kenyan Independence politician and assassination victim.
On 9 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. The 50.4-kilometre road was built in three phases: Uhuru Highway to Muthaiga Roundabout; Muthaiga Roundabout to Kenyatta University and; Kenyatta University to Thika Town.[37]
On 31 May 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated the Standard Gauge Railway which connects Nairobi to Mombasa.[38] It was primarily built by a Chinese firm with about 90% of total funding from China and about 10% from the Kenyan government. A second phase is also being built which will link Naivasha to the existing route and also the Uganda border.
On 11 August 2020, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi resigned.[39] On 21 December 2020, recently elected[40] Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura was sworn in as acting Nairobi Governor four days after the previous Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was impeached and removed from office.[41] At the time of Mutura''s swearing in as acting Governor, which he will hold for at least 60 days, Nairobi did not have a Deputy Governor as well.[41]
Nairobi has seen several major infrastructure projects in recent years. The Nairobi Expressway, completed in 2022, was developed to reduce traffic congestion along Mombasa Road.[43] Additionally, the Green Park Bus Terminal, part of efforts to improve public transport, began operations in 2021.[44] In line with the Kenyan government''s Affordable Housing Program, various housing developments are underway to accommodate the city''s growing population.[45]
The city is situated at 1°09′S 36°39′E / 1.150°S 36.650°E / -1.150; 36.650 (Nairobi, Kenya) and 1°27′S 37°06′E / 1.450°S 37.100°E / -1.450; 37.100 (Nairobi, Kenya) and occupies 696 square kilometres (270 sq mi).
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. Mount Kenya is situated north of Nairobi, and Mount Kilimanjaro is towards the south-east.[46]
The Nairobi River and its tributaries traverse through the Nairobi County and joins the larger River Athi on the eastern edge of the county.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai fought fiercely to save the indigenous Karura Forest in northern Nairobi which was under threat of being replaced by housing and other infrastructure.[47]
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. The Kenyan Parliament buildings, the Holy Family Cathedral, Nairobi City Hall, Nairobi Law Courts, and the Kenyatta Convention Centre all surround the square.
Under the Köppen climate classification, Nairobi has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). 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. The mean maximum temperature for this period is 28 °C (82 °F).[48]
There are rainy seasons, but rainfall can be moderate. The cloudiest part of the year is just after the first rainy season, when, until September, conditions are usually overcast with drizzle. 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. The timing of sunrise and sunset varies little throughout the year for the same reason.[49]
The Kibera slum in Nairobi is claimed by the Kenyan government to have a population of 185,777.[57] However, non-governmental sources generally estimate the slum to have a population of 500,000 to 1,000,000, depending on what areas are defined as comprising Kibera.[58][59][60][61]
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 park was to be built over by former President Daniel arap Moi, who wanted the 62-storey headquarters of his party, the Kenya African National Union, situated in the park.[62] However, the park was saved following a campaign by Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.
Central Park is adjacent to Uhuru Park, and includes a memorial for Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of Kenya, and the Moi Monument, built in 1988 to commemorate the second president''s first decade in power. Other notable open spaces include Jeevanjee Gardens, City Park, 7 August Memorial Park, and Nairobi Arboretum.
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