52-535: Roysambu is a commercial and residential suburb of the city of Nairobi . Located within the larger Kasarani area, it is approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) northeast of Nairobi's central business district off Thika Road . The neighbourhood is a high-density, hosting the lower middle income to low income segment of the Nairobi residents. A report by the National Lands Commission (NLC) shared before
104-520: A city-county . The county is entirely urban. It had only one local council, Nairobi City Council which was replaced by Nairobi City County after the new constitution was effected in March 2013. Nairobi County has 17 constituencies. Constituency name may differ from division name, such that Starehe Constituency is equal to Central Division, Lang'ata Constituency to Kibera division, and Kamukunji Constituency to Pumwani Division in terms of boundaries. Nairobi
156-501: 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. The colonial 1948 Master Plan for Nairobi still acts as
208-513: A dam in Ruiru in the edges of his massive farm. The land was gradually sub-divided over time and sold to different parties who later developed it into a mixed-use estate typical of the expansive Nairobi urban sprawl. It kept the name Roysambu a name thought to be of Masai origin. The name is thought to be a corruption of the Masai name "Soit Sambu" or "Soysambu" which means the place of striated rocks. "Sambu"
260-674: 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. The town quickly grew to replace Mombasa as
312-444: A dual carriageway passenger access road, security, drainage and the building of the main access road to the airport (Airport South Road). The total cost of the project was more than US$ 29 million (US$ 111.8 million in 2013 dollars). 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. The airport
364-824: A hub. 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 Archived 16 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine . which have been in the forefront of technology, innovation and cloud based computing services. Their products are widely used and have considerable market share presence within Kenya and outside its borders. Goods manufactured in Nairobi include clothing, textiles, building materials, processed foods , beverages, and cigarettes. Several foreign companies have factories based in and around
416-452: A series of US embassy bombings . It is now the site of a memorial park. 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
468-561: 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. After World War II , continuous expansion of the city angered both the indigenous Maasai and Kikuyu . This led to the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950s, and the Lancaster House Conferences , which initiated
520-604: 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. 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. On 11 September 1973, the Kenyatta International Conference Centre KICC
572-527: 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. However, the park was saved following
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#1732858574600624-539: Is also a Masai name associated with cattle of a certain color which makes sense since cattle farming actively took place in the parcel of land in the 20th century. There is no evidence of Roysambu having been a suburb as it was primarily used as a hunting ground and a farm until late in the 1980s when under the KANU regime massive subdivisions started taking place. Roysambu is located approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) northeast of Nairobi's central business district , within
676-448: Is claimed by the Kenyan government to have a population of 185,777. 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. 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
728-646: Is commemorated by many English place-names. Most lower-middle and upper middle income neighbourhoods are located in the north-central areas such as Highridge, Parklands, Ngara, Pangani, and areas to the southwest and southeast of the metropolitan area near the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The most notable ones include Avenue Park, Fedha, Pipeline, Donholm, Greenfields, Nyayo, Taasia, Baraka, Nairobi West, Madaraka, Siwaka, South B, South C, Mugoya, Riverbank, Hazina, Buru Buru, Uhuru, Harambee Civil Servants', Akiba, Kimathi, Pioneer, and Koma Rock to
780-676: 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. The city is commonly referred to as 'The Green City in the Sun'. Nairobi is home of the Kenyan Parliament Buildings and hosts thousands of Kenyan businesses and key international companies and organisations, including
832-522: Is divided into 17 constituencies and 85 wards , mostly named after residential estates. Kibera Division, for example, includes Kibera (Kenya's largest slum) as well as affluent estates of Karen and Langata . The Nairobi GPO (General Post Office) Postal code is 00100 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
884-496: 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. The Nairobi River and its tributaries traverse through
936-463: 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. Nairobi is divided into a series of constituencies with each being represented by members of Parliament in the National Assembly. The initial constituencies before
988-489: The London Stock Exchange in 1953. The exchange is Africa's fourth largest in terms of trading volumes, and fifth largest in terms of Market Capitalization as a percentage of GDP. Nairobi is the regional headquarters of several international companies and organisations. In 2007, General Electric , Young & Rubicam , Google , Coca-Cola , IBM Services , and Cisco Systems relocated their African headquarters to
1040-533: The Maasai , the sedentary Akamba People , as well as the agriculturalist Kikuyu people . The name Nairobi itself comes from the Maasai expression meaning 'cool waters', referring to the cold water stream which flowed through the area. With the arrival of the Uganda Railway , the site was identified by Sir George Whitehouse for a store depot, shunting ground and camping ground for the Indian labourers working on
1092-604: 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
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#17328585746001144-424: The 1980s. The City of Nairobi enjoys the status of a full administrative county . 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
1196-591: The 2010 constitution which led to the county electoral boundaries being redrawn were: Makadara, Kamukunji, Starehe, Langata , Dagoretti, Westlands , Kasarani, and Embakasi . The new electoral boundaries after this were revised to Embakasi North, Embakasi South, Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi West, Makadara, Kamukunji, Starehe, Mathare, Westlands, Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Langata, Kibra, Ruaraka, Roysambu and Kasarani. The main administrative divisions of Nairobi are Central, Dagoretti, Embakasi , Kasarani, Kibera , Makadara, Pumwani, and Westlands . Most of
1248-538: The City Hall and Parliament Building. The city square is also located within the perimeter. Most of the skyscrapers in this region are the headquarters of businesses and corporations, such as I&M and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre . The United States Embassy bombing took place in this district, prompting the building of a new embassy building in the suburbs. In 2011, the city
1300-552: 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). 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
1352-464: The Kenyan parliament in 2019 indicates that the parcel of land currently known as Roysambu was originally leased to a man of Australian origin called Henry Hebert Tarlton in 1904. Tarlton turned the piece of land into a sort of open air zoo, he had a livestock farm, and game hunting used to take place there from time to time. Collectively, this hunting ground (measuring 4443 acres) was named "The Roysambu Estate". Henry Tarlton died in 1932 while fishing at
1404-599: 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. Nairobi's western suburbs stretch all the way from the Kenyatta National Hospital in the south to the UN headquarters at Gigiri suburb in
1456-534: 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. 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. On 21 December 2020, recently elected Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura
1508-455: The capital of Kenya in 1907. After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya . During Kenya's early period, the city became a centre for the coffee , tea and sisal industries. The city lies in the south central part of Kenya, at an elevation of 1,795 metres (5,889 ft). The site of Nairobi was originally a swamp land occupied by a pastoralist people,
1560-400: The centre-east and Kasarani to northeast area among others. The low and lower income estates are located mainly in far eastern Nairobi. These include, Umoja, Kariokor, Dandora , Kariobangi , Kayole , Ruai , Kamulu , Embakasi , and Huruma . Kitengela suburb, though located further southeast, Ongata Rongai and Kiserian further southwest, and Ngong/Embulbul suburbs also known as 'Diaspora' to
1612-469: The city. The United Nations Office at Nairobi hosts UN Environment and UN-Habitat headquarters. 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. Kenya Airways , Africa's fourth largest airline, uses Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as
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1664-503: The city. These include Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , General Motors , Toyota , and The Coca-Cola Company . Nairobi has a large tourist industry , being both a tourist destination and a transport hub. Nairobi has grown around its central business district . 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
1716-529: 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
1768-512: The estate. The constituency encompasses other estates and neighbourhoods such as: Garden Estate, Thome , Ridgeways, Marurui, Kiwanja, Njathaini, Ngomongo, Kongo Soweto, parts of Kahawa and Githurai , Mirema, Kamiti, and Zimmerman. Both electoral divisions are within the Kasarani Sub-county Nairobi Nairobi ( / n aɪ ˈ r oʊ b i / ny- ROH -bee ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya . The name
1820-598: The far west are considered part of the Greater Nairobi Metropolitan area. More than 90% of Nairobi residents work within the Nairobi Metropolitan area, in the formal and informal sectors. Many Somali immigrants have also settled in Eastleigh , nicknamed "Little Mogadishu ". Here is the list of all postal codes for Nairobi Archived 19 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine . The Kibera slum in Nairobi
1872-399: 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 . On 31 May 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated
1924-564: The governing mechanism when it comes to making decisions related to urban planning. The Master Plan at the time, which was designed for 250,000 people, allocated 28% of Nairobi's land to public space, but because of rapid population growth, much of the vitality of public spaces within the city are increasingly threatened. City Park, the only natural park in Nairobi, for example, was originally 60 ha (150 acres), but has since lost approximately 20 ha (50 acres) of land to private development through squatting and illegal alienation which began in
1976-466: The headquarters of the provincial administration for the Ukamba province. On the arrival of the railway, Whitehouse remarked that "Nairobi itself will in the course of the next two years become a large and flourishing place and already there are many applications for sites for hotels, shops and houses." The town's early years were however beset with problems of malaria leading to at least one attempt to have
2028-625: The larger sub-county of Kasarani . It is located west of Kasarani ; northeast of Zimmerman ; south of Thome, north and west of Mirema. Roysambu was initially zoned as a low-density residential neighbourhood, with single family homes . However, the neighbourhood has increasingly gained a large population, residents from other parts of Kenya. It is a high-density residential area, with low-rise and occasional high-rise flats, due to its affordability for students and lower middle income to low income families. Roysambu Constituency and Roysambu ward, both electoral divisions, borrow their names from
2080-797: 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
2132-451: The plenary hall, the tower consisted of a cylinder composed of several cuboids, and the amphitheater and helipad both resembled cones. The tower was built around a concrete core and it had no walls but glass windows, which allowed for maximum natural lighting. It had the largest halls in eastern and central Africa. A year prior in 1972, the World Bank approved funds for further expansion of
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2184-540: 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. In 1898, Arthur Church was first and foremost commissioned to design the first town layout for the railway depot. It constituted two streets – Victoria Street and Station Street , ten avenues, staff quarters and an Indian commercial area. The railway arrived at Nairobi on 30 May 1899, and soon Nairobi replaced Machakos as
2236-513: The railway. Whitehouse, chief engineer of the railway, favoured the site as an ideal resting place due to its high elevation, temperate climate, adequate water supply and being situated before the steep ascent of the Limuru escarpments . His choice was however criticised by officials within the Protectorate government who felt the site was too flat, poorly drained and relatively infertile. During
2288-413: 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,
2340-498: The town moved. In the early 1900s, Bazaar Street (now Biashara Street) was completely rebuilt after an outbreak of plague and the burning of the original town. 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 . In 1907, Nairobi replaced Mombasa as the capital of the East Africa Protectorate. In 1919, Nairobi
2392-502: 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. The city's colonial past
2444-505: Was considered to have about 4 million residents. A large beautification project took place in the Central Business District, as the city prepared to host the 2006 Afri-Cities summit. Iconic buildings such as the Kenyatta International Conference Centre had their exteriors cleaned and repainted. Nairobi National Park Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
2496-525: Was declared to be a municipality. In 1921, Nairobi had 24,000 residents, of which 12,000 were native Africans. The next decade saw growth in native African communities in Nairobi, and they began to constitute a majority for the first time. 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". In February 1926, colonial officer Eric Dutton passed through Nairobi on his way to Mount Kenya , and said of
2548-753: Was developed to reduce traffic congestion along Mombasa Road. Additionally, the Green Park Bus Terminal , part of efforts to improve public transport, began operations in 2021. In line with the Kenyan government's Affordable Housing Program , various housing developments are underway to accommodate the city's growing population. 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
2600-695: Was open to the public. The 28-storey building at the time was designed by the Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik and Kenyan David Mutiso. It is the only building within the city with a helipad that is open to the public. Of the buildings built in the Seventies, the KICC was the most eco-friendly and most environmentally conscious structure; its main frame was constructed with locally available materials gravel, sand, cement and wood, and it had wide open spaces which allowed for natural aeration and natural lighting. Cuboids made up
2652-522: Was renamed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in memory of its first president. 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
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#17328585746002704-403: Was sworn in as acting Nairobi Governor four days after the previous Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was impeached and removed from office. 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. Nairobi has seen several major infrastructure projects in recent years. The Nairobi Expressway , completed in 2022,
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