About Nairobi
Experience Nairobi's History
By Rtn Martin Ngugi, Public Relations Committee
Next May, hundreds of Rotarians will flock
to Nairobi for the 2009 District Conference.
This 84th Conference will be held for the
first time ever at the UN Conference Centre
in Gigiri, Nairobi.
Apart from an exciting conference program that promises both stimulating presentations
and wonderful entertainment in true Rotary
tradition, here are some of the major landmarks
that Rotarians and guests alike may
not want to miss out on:
Visit the Nyayo Monument that was built in 1988 to commemorate 25 years of independence. It is a marble rendering of the lowering of the British colonial flag and the raising of the Kenyan flag. It cost nearly a million dollars to construct and caused a lot of controversy.
Whilst in the City, you can walk to Parliament
Building, where you will find needlework
tapestries made by the East African
Women's League showing Kenya's history, a
mosaic of Kenyan tribes and a table made
from samples of Kenyan trees. Tour times
vary according to the National Assembly
schedule. The building is located on Parliament
Road. Don’t forget to arrange a visit by
calling the Clerk of the National Assembly
whose telephone number is available in the
official directory.
Or you could go to Uhuru Monument, built in
1973 as a commemorative monument to independence.
An ihara tree marks the spot
where the national flag was first hoisted on
12 December 1963. Surrounding the tree is a
map of Kenya showing its different provinces.
Two other monuments, laid by former
President Daniel Moi, commemorate 20 and
25 years of independence.
The lover of history will not be disappointed, as there are a number of museums in which you can take a look back in time. Visit the Karen Blixen Museum, a restored house and grounds, with furniture and photographs of Danish author Karen Blixen, who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen, of Out of Africa fame. The house was originally a coffee plantation out in the country, but now finds itself itself on the outskirts of Nairobi. The quiet, tree-lined roads and large yards with older homes make this a pleasant place to visit. The Karen Blixen Coffee Garden restaurant is next door, adjacent to a particularly interesting old settler's house.
Nairobi’s history is mainly attributed to the building of the Uganda Railway, and therefore a visit to the Kenya Railway Museum should not be missed, even though it's a bit hard to find. It's filled with fascinating historical photographs and relics from old trains, as well as actual trains you can climb onto. (One of them is the carriage in which Charles Ryall was dozing in 1900 when a lion seized him through the window, broke his neck and carried him off.)
The National Archives is a public gallery containing some beautiful drawings and some very amateur art, as well as a collection of ethnography— weapons, musical instruments and domestic artifacts. The first floor houses a collection of photographs of former President Moi's early history and some Mau detention camp photos
Round off your tour by visiting the National Museum of Kenya, a museum containing the Leakey family discoveries at Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge and Koobi Fora in northern Kenya. Wildlife displays haven't been updated for years, but you may want to view the range of weapons, ornaments and headdresses of various Kenyan tribes—a good introduction to the country and its peoples. Also on view are original watercolors by Joy Adamson, who wrote Born Free, and displays of Kenya's modern history. Be sure to look in on works in the exciting new art center run by the Kuona Trust. (You can buy art in the contemporary art hall upstairs.)
Within the museum grounds is a snake park with live East African snakes: puff adders, black and green mambas and other reptiles. An aquarium with marine and freshwater fish recently opened on the grounds.
