The following is a

timeline A timeline is a list of events displayed in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representing t ...

of the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the city of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Prior to 20th century

* 1899 -

Uganda Railway The Uganda Railway was a metre-gauge railway system and former British state-owned railway company. The line linked the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa in Kenya. After a series of mergers and splits, the lin ...

(

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

-Nairobi) begins operating; depot built by British.

20th century

1900s-1920s

* 1900 - Incorporated as the Township of Nairobi * 1901 ** Native Civil hospital opens. **The Nairobi Club established * 1904 - Norfolk Hotel opens. * 1905 **

British East Africa Protectorate East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was a British protectorate in the African Great Lakes, occupying roughly the same area as present-day Kenya, from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Contr ...

capital moves from

to Nairobi. ** Nairobi Parsee Zoroastrian Anjuman Religious and Charitable Funds established. * 1906 ** Jamia Mosque construction started. ** Royal Nairobi Golf Club founded. * 1907 - British

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

built. * 1909 - East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society established. * 1910 ** '' East African Standard''

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

headquartered in Nairobi. ** Museum of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society established. * 1912 - Theatre Royal opens. * 1913 - Muthaiga Country Club founded. * 1914 - Shri Vankaner Vidya Prasarak Mandal established. * 1917 ** Anjuman Islamia established. ** East Africa Women's League established. ** Indian Christian Union formed. * 1918 - Punjebhai Club formed. * 1919 - Nairobi Political Association formed. * 1920 ** Social Service Volunteer Corps established. ** Majlis-i-Ahl-i-Kashmeer established.

1930s-1950s

* 1930 - Coryndon Museum opens. * 1931 - McMillan lending library (for white settlers) opens. * 1934 - Sir Ali Muslim Club (cricket) founded. * 1935 - Nairobi becomes a municipality. * 1939 - St. Mary's School founded. * 1944 - Kenya Conservatoire of Music founded. * 1946 -

Nairobi National Park Nairobi National Park is a national park in Kenya that was established in 1946 about south of Nairobi. It is fenced on three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitenge ...

established. * 1947 - Kenya National Archives headquartered in city. * 1948 ** East African Literature Bureau founded. ** Population: 118,976 (urban agglomeration). * 1949 - American Center Library established. * 1950 - Nairobi became a city * 1951 - Railway rerouted via

Kibera Kibera (Kinubi language, Kinubi: ''Forest'' or ''Jungle'') is a division and neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya, from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and also the largest urban slum in all of Africa. The 2009 Kenya Popul ...

* 1952 ** City Council formed. ** Princess Elizabeth Hospital opens. * 1953 -

Nairobi Dam The Nairobi Dam is an embankment dam on the Nairobi River in Nairobi, Kenya. Background The Dam constructed in 1953 holds back a reservoir with storage capacity of and surface area of . It is a shallow lake with an average depth on only Inflo ...

constructed. * 1954 ** Legislative Council (Legco) Building opened ** Ngong Racecourse opens. ** European Hospital opens. * 1955 ** Israel Somen elected mayor. ** Government Indian School renamed Duke of Gloucester School * 1956 **

Royal Technical College The Royal College of Science and Technology was a higher education college that existed in Glasgow, Scotland between 1887 and 1964. Tracing its history back to the Andersonian Institute (founded in 1796), it is the direct predecessor instituti ...

established. ** East African Library Association headquartered in city. * 1958 ** Nairobi Embakasi Airport opened ** Embassy Cinema opened. ** Thika Rd Drive-In (later renamed Fox Drive-In) opened ** Kenya Cinema opened ** New Donovan Maule Theatre opened ** Aga Khan Hospital opened

1960s-1970s

* 1961 - Kenya Polytechnic established. * 1962 - Nairobi West Airport renamed Wilson Airport * 1963 ** City becomes capital of

Republic of Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. K ...

. **

Kenya School of Law The Kenya School of Law (KSL) is the only bar school in Kenya. After completing an undergraduate degree in law from a recognized university, students attend the Kenya School of Law to prepare for admission to the Kenyan Bar. History The Kenya ...

established. * 1964 - Abaluhya United Football Club founded. * 1966 -

United Nations Office at Nairobi The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON, ) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is one of four major United Nations office sites where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. Established in 1996, it is the UN's official headquarte ...

established. * 1967 ** National Library Service of Kenya headquartered in city. **

Kenya Open The Kenya Open, currently titled as the Magical Kenya Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament in Kenya founded in 1967. History The Kenya Open was an associate event on the Far East Circuit in 1967 and 1968, after which ...

golf tournament begins. * 1968 ** Gor Mahia Football Club founded. ** Swedish school founded. * 1969 ** July: Political leader

Tom Mboya Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya (15August 19305July 1969) was a Kenyan trade unionist, educator, Pan-Africanist, author, independence activist, and statesman. He was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Kenya.Kenya Human Rights Commiss ...

assassinated. ** Hilton Nairobi built. * 1970 **

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

and Nairobi Japanese School established. **

Margaret Kenyatta Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta (born 8 April 1964) is a Kenyan educator who served as First Lady of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. She is the wife of Uhuru Kenyatta, the immediate former Kenyan president. Biography Margaret Wanjiru Gakuo was born on 8 Apri ...

becomes mayor. ** Tusker Football Club founded. * 1971 - Nairobi Railway Museum opens. * 1973 **

Kenyatta International Conference Centre The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), formerly the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, is a 32-story building located in Nairobi, Kenya. The KICC is located in the City Square of Nairobi, and is a crucial address for a numb ...

and National Social Security Fund building constructed. ** City administrators develop municipal "master plan." ** Population: 630,000 urban agglomeration. * 1975 ** Uchumi Supermarkets founded. ** City hosts

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

conference. * 1978 - Mazingira Institute founded.

1980s-1990s

* 1980 - Nairobi Records Centre of the Kenya National Archives established. * 1981 ** City hall building expanded. ** ICEA Building and Cooperative Bank House built. * 1983 ** Sarit Centre shopping mall opens. ** Nyayo National Stadium and Nyayo House built. ** Phoenix Players theatre troupe active. * 1985 **

Kenyatta University Kenyatta University (KU) is a public university with its main campus in Nairobi, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it ...

established. ** Third UN World Conference on Women held from 15 to 26 July 1985 * 1987 **

Moi International Sports Centre The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC, locally referred to as the Kasarani stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000-s ...

built. ** City hosts

All-Africa Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the ...

. * 1989 - Kenya College of Accountancy founded. * 1990 ** Kenya Television Network founded. ** Lonrho House built. ** Population: 1,380,000 (urban agglomeration). * 1992 - Anniversary Towers built. * 1994 - Mathare United Football Club founded. * 1995 - The Village Market shopping center opens. * 1998 - U.S. embassy bombed. * 1997 - Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis headquartered in city. * 1999 ** Rahimtulla Tower built. ** Nairobi Java House opens. * 2000 ** New Central Bank Tower built. ** Population: 2,230,000 (urban agglomeration).

21st century

2000s

* 2001 ** I&M Bank Tower built. ** Nairobi Women's Hospital founded. ** Coalition for Peace in Africa headquartered in Nairobi. ** Unrest in

. * 2002 ** Kiriri Women's University of Science and Technology established. **

World Urban Forum The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the world’s premier conference on urban issues. It was established in 2001 by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities ...

held. * 2003 ** Nairobi Marathon begins. ** Dorman's Coffee opens. ** '' Kwani?'' literary journal begins publication. ** GoDown Arts Centre founded. * 2004 - Dick Wathika elected mayor. * 2005 ** July: Political protest. ** Population: 2,814,000 (urban agglomeration). * 2006
www.sheng.co.ke
Kenya's first online Sheng Dictionary goes live after major overhaul. * 2007 ** Nairobi Province

administrative districts Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

created. ** December - Post-election unrest. * 2008 **

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

office in business. ** Nairobi National Museum building expanded. * 2009 - Population: 3,138,369.

2010s

* 2010 ** Mayor Geoffrey Majiwa resigns. ** City hosts African Championships in Athletics. ** IHub opens. ** June: Blast occurs during protest in

Uhuru Park Uhuru Park is a 12.9 hectare (32 acre) recreational park adjacent to the central business district of Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation ...

. ** Population: 3,109,861 (estimate). * 2011 ** Petrol pipeline explosion, Sinai slum. **

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was d ...

of literature held. ** George Aladwa elected mayor. * 2012 ** Nairobi- Syokimau railway begins operating. ** IMAX Nairobi (cinema) opens. **

Sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationship established with

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, US. * 2013 **

Nairobi County Nairobi City County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. With an estimated population of 5,454,000 in 2024, it is the third-smallest in area of the counties, yet the most populous. It also serves as the capital of Kenya. The county entity was ...

administrative division effected. ** 4 March: Election held for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. ** 7 August: Nairobi airport fire. ** September: 2013 Women's African Volleyball Championship held. ** 21–24 September: Westgate shopping mall attack. ** 14 December: Bus attack in Eastleigh. * 2014 - Caramel restaurant in business. * 2015 - July: US president Obama visits city. * 2017 ** Two Rivers Shopping Complex at the northern boundary shopping centre of Ruaka opened ** June 1-The first phase of the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, built by the China Road & Bridge Construction Company mainly funded by China Exim Bank and the Government of Kenya is inaugurated by President Uhuru Kenyatta. * 2018 - Part of

2018 African Nations Championship The 2018 African Nations Championship, known as the 2018 CHAN for short and for sponsor (commercial), sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies, Total African Nations Championship, was the 5th edition of the biennial association football tournam ...

football contest to be played in Nairobi.

References

Bibliography

* (Memoir set in Nairobi area circa 1920s) * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* * (Bibliography of

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

articles) * (Images, etc.) * (Images, etc.) * (Images, etc.) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) * U.S. Library of Congress
Photos of Nairobi
various dates. * * {{Timelines of cities in Africa *Timeline

nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Years in Kenya