History of Nairobi
Kenyan capital
Kenya 's capital, Nairobi, is one of Africa 's fastest growing cities. It translates as 'place of cool waters' in Massai but rapid population growth and industrial development means this is increasingly far-fetched. The current population is over a million and this is increasing at a seemingly geometric rate.
Development
Nairobi 's existence is a result of the construction of the Uganda Railway from Mombassa on the coast to Lake Victoria. At the turn of the twentieth century Kenya was part of British East Africa and Nairobi was a Massai watering hole. In 1899 it was made the headquarters of the railway construction and in 1900 it received township status. Railway workers and an influx of settlers caused the town to grow rapidly. These original arrivals came from a wide base, Asians(who dominated the commerce), European adventurers and settlers and Africans looking for work.
Growth
The British authorities carefully segregated these different groups racially and forced them to live in separate areas. In 1907 Nairobi became the capital of the East Africa Protectorate. The First World War further encouraged the city's growth. An expanding population led to problems with crowding and disease until outbreaks of bubonic plague after 1918 prompted an attempt to clean up the city. In 1923 a mayor was chosen to govern the city, although until independence the mayor was always European. After the Second World War the city became an important manufacturing centre and a focal point for African demands for independence, which was gained in1963.
Independence
Economic problems throughout the 1980's have slowed growth and led to increasing unemployment and hardship. Large shanty-towns, lacking even basic resources, have grown around the city to house the many migrants looking for work. During the 1990's the city's infrastructure has continued to decline and Nairobi has began to demonstrate against the increasingly unpopular President Moi for greater reform and democratic freedom.
