45 Facts About Nairobi

Nairobi was founded in 1899 by the colonial authorities in British East Africa, as a rail depot on the Uganda - Kenya Railway.

Nairobi is home of the Kenyan Parliament Buildings and hosts thousands of Kenyan businesses and over 1000 major international companies and organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON).

Nairobi joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2010.

The name Nairobi itself comes from the Maasai expression meaning "cool waters", referring to the cold water stream which flowed through the area.

Nairobi's choice was however criticised by officials within the Protectorate government who felt the site was too flat, poorly drained and relatively infertile.

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In 1907, Nairobi replaced Mombasa as the capital of the East Africa Protectorate.

In 1921, Nairobi had 24, 000 residents, of which 12, 000 were native Africans.

Nairobi remained capital of Kenya after independence, and its continued rapid growth put pressure on the city's infrastructure.

Nairobi is situated between the cities of Kampala and Mombasa.

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 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.

Kibera slum in Nairobi is claimed by the Kenyan government to have a population of 185, 777.

Nairobi has many parks and open spaces throughout the city.

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.

Nairobi is divided into 17 constituencies and 85 wards, mostly named after residential estates.

Nairobi is home to the Nairobi Securities Exchange, one of Africa's largest stock exchanges.

Nairobi is the regional headquarters of several international companies and organisations.

Nairobi has not been left behind by the FinTech phenomenon that has taken over worldwide.

Goods manufactured in Nairobi include clothing, textiles, building materials, processed foods, beverages, and cigarettes.

Nairobi has a large tourist industry, being both a tourist destination and a transport hub.

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 youngest cities in the region.

Art galleries in Nairobi include the Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art, the Mizizi Arts Centre, and the Nairobi National Museum.

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Nairobi's publishing houses have produced the works of some of Kenya's authors, including Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Meja Mwangi who were part of post-colonial writing.

Nairobi is the setting of many of the novels of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenya's foremost writer.

Nairobi has been the set of several other American and British films.

In 2015 and 2016, Nairobi was the focus point for the American television series Sense8 which shot its first and second seasons partly in the city.

In 2015 Nairobi was featured in the British thriller film Eye in the Sky, which is a story about a lieutenant general and a colonel who faced political opposition after ordering a drone missile strike to take out a group of suicide bombers in Nairobi.

In 2017, the name "Nairobi" was taken as a code-name by a female main character in the famous Spanish TV series Money Heist.

NRW is managed by Eatout Kenya which is an online platform that lists and reviews restaurants in Nairobi, and provides a platform for Kenyan foodies to congregate and share.

Acts that have performed in Nairobi include Lost Boyz, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Akon, Eve, T O K, Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, Alaine, Konshens, Ja Rule, and Morgan Heritage, and Cabo Snoop.

Nairobi, including the coastal towns of Mombasa and Diani, have recently become the centre of EDM in Kenya, producing DJs as well as producers like Jack Rooster, Euggy, DJ Fita, Noise on Demand, DJ Vidza, DJ Coco EM.

Nairobi Gymkhana is the home of the Kenyan cricket team, and was a venue for the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

Notable annual events staged in Nairobi include Safari Rally, Safari Sevens rugby union tournament, and Nairobi Marathon.

Matatus in Nairobi were easily distinguishable by their extravagant paint schemes, as owners would paint their matatu with various colourful decorations, such as their favourite football team or hip hop artist.

Nairobi was founded as a railway town, and the main headquarters of Kenya Railways is still situated at Nairobi railway station, which is located near the city centre.

Nairobi is served by highways that link Mombasa to Kampala in Uganda and Arusha in Tanzania.

Nairobi is undergoing major road constructions to update its infrastructure network.

Also traffic from Central Nairobi is expected to be facilitated, to reduce the number of departing passengers who miss their fights, while stuck in road traffic jams on the city streets.

Nairobi is home to most of Kenya's news and media organisations.

Nairobi city inspired the nicknaming of the character Agata Jimenez as 'Nairobi'; a fictional character in the Netflix series Money Heist, portrayed by Alba Flores.

Nairobi's serves as the quality manager of the group, in charge of printing money in the Royal Mint of Spain in parts 1 and 2, and overseeing the melting of gold in the Bank of Spain in parts 3 and 4.

Nairobi's is widely considered to be the show's most popular character.

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