The seasons are referred to as the wet season and dry season. Matatus are the most common form of public transport in Nairobi. The most notable development is Greenpark, at Athi River, Machakos County 25 km (16 mi) from Nairobi's Central Business District. Iconic buildings such as the Kenyatta International Conference Centre had their exteriors cleaned and repainted.[65]. [72] These immigrants were workers who arrived to construct the Kampala – Mombasa railway, settling in Nairobi after its completion, and also merchants from Gujarat. [citation needed] The most popular are Groove tours, TSO (Totally Sold Out) new year concerts. Avic International is putting up a 30-level hotel tower of 141 m in the Westlands. [62], Goods manufactured in Nairobi include clothing, textiles, building materials, processed foods, beverages, and cigarettes. Several of Africa's largest companies are headquartered in Nairobi. Nairobi is situated between the cities of Kampala and Mombasa. Nairobi is the most populous city in East Africa, with a current estimated population of about 3 million. Much of the filming was in the Kibera slum. [69] It is estimated that Nairobi's population will reach 5 million in 2025.[70]. [104] The head of one development agency cited the notoriously high levels of violent armed robberies, burglaries, and carjackings. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. The city square is also located within the perimeter. Matatus operate within Nairobi, its environs and suburbs and from Nairobi to other towns around the country. Mugithi is another popular genre in Kenya, with its origins in the central parts of the country. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Nairobi is also the setting of many of the novels of NgÅ©gÄ© wa Thiong'o, Kenya's foremost writer. The NSE was officially recognised as an overseas stock exchange by the London Stock Exchange in 1953. [5], Nairobi was founded in 1899 by the colonial authorities in British East Africa, as a rail depot on the Uganda Railway. Nairobi is not often used as a baby girl name. Nairobi downtown area or central business district is bordered to the southwest by Uhuru Park and Central Park. The low and lower income estates are located mainly in far eastern Nairobi. Earlier on, they were located in the Hill Park Building and CBA Building respectively (both also in Upper Hill), and prior to that in View Park towers in the Central Business District. [105] Crime had risen in Nairobi as a result of unplanned urbanisation, with a minimal number of police stations and a proper security infrastructure. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census, while the metropolitan area has a population of 9,354,580. Kibera has been the setting for several films, the most recent being The Constant Gardener. In 2017, the name "Nairobi" was taken as a code-name by a female main character in the famous Spanish TV series Money Heist. [49], The Kibera slum in Nairobi with an estimated population of 185,777 was thought to be Africa's second largest slum. Nairobi City Stadium is the city's first stadium, and used for club football. [23], 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. Major real estate projects and skyscrapers are coming up in the city. Forms of the name include Nairobea, Nairobee, Nairobey, Nairobie, Nairoby, Nayrobea, Nayrobee, Nayrobey, Nayrobi, Nayrobie, and Nayroby. Unemployment is estimated at 40% within the city, mainly in the high-density, low income areas of the city which can make them seem even denser than the higher-income neighborhoods.[71]. The tower was built around a concrete core and it had no walls but glass windows, which allowed for maximum natural lighting. Traditional food joints such as the popular K'osewe's in the city centre and Amaica, which specialize in African delicacies, are also widespread. However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is surrounded by several expanding villa suburbs. [dubious – discuss]. It is pronounced as N AY R OW Biy †. In Nairobi, there are a range of restaurants and, besides being home to nyama choma which is a local term used to refer to roasted meat, there are American fast food restaurants such as KFC, Subway, Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, Hardee's and Burger King which are popular, and the longer established South African chains, Galittos, Steers, PizzaMojo, Spur Steak Ranches. Both newspapers are published in English. Eastlands also houses most of the city's middle class and includes South C, South B, Embakasi, Buru Buru, Komarock, Donholm, Umoja, and various others. ... and receive a QR code of the form to show the customs officials in Nairobi, according to Teresa Sullivan, co-owner of Mango Safaris. The trail blazing actor who graced the stage and big screen will be remembered for her extensive body of work built over a 60 year career, and her strict ethic regarding the roles she chose. However, many of the matatu vehicles have had their speed governors disabled, which is evident by them travelling at speeds well over 80 km/h (50 mph). 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. ", "Nairobi, Kenya – Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times, table", "WMO Climate Normals for DAGORETTI 1961–1990", "Klimatafel von Nairobi-Dagoretti (Obs.) Benga is a Kenyan genre which was developed in Nairobi. Nairobi has an annual restaurant week (NRW) at the beginning of the year, January–February. Lupita received an Oscar award for best supporting actress in her role as Patsy in the film 12 Years a Slave during the 86th Academy Awards at the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles. Nairobi is a sophisticated and daring name. [79] Virgin records became aware of the popularity of the genre and signed recording contracts with several soukous artists. Origin of Nairobi. The two passenger locomotives christened Madaraka Express operate daily trips between Nairobi and Mombasa. In 2010, along with the new constitution, Nairobi was renamed a county. By the mid twentieth century, many foreigners settled in Nairobi from other parts of the British Empire, primarily India and parts of (present-day) Pakistan. The new station has a train that ferries passengers from Syokimau to the city centre cutting travel time by half. Clockwise from top: Central business district, "Green City in the Sun", "Nai","Silicon Savannah", Private car population projection for Nairobi, Donald B. Freeman, City of Farmers: Informal Urban Agriculture in the Open Spaces of Nairobi, Kenya, McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1 Mar 1991, Frédéric Landy, From Urban National Parks to Natured Cities in the Global South: The Quest for Naturbanity, Springer, 20 Jul 2018, p.50, Anne-Marie Deisser, Mugwima Njuguna, Conservation of Natural and Cultural Heritage in Kenya, UCL Press, 7 Oct 2016, p.76, The Eastern Africa Journal of Historical and Social Sciences Research, Volume 1, Indiana University, 8 Publishers, 1996, Sana Aiyar, Indians in Kenya: The Politics of Diaspora, Harvard University Press, 2015, p.42, Claire C. Robertson, Trouble Showed the Way: Women, Men, and Trade in the Nairobi Area, 1890–1990, Indiana University Press, 1997, p.16, Claire C. Robertson, Trouble Showed the Way: Women, Men, and Trade in the Nairobi Area, 1890–1990, Indiana University Press, 1997, p.13, Garth Andrew Myers, Verandahs of Power: Colonialism and Space in Urban Africa, Syracuse University Press, 2003, J. 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