Muthaiga is an affluent neighbourhood in the city of
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
. In 2019, media reports indicated that it was the most affluent and most expensive neighbourhood in the entire country.
Location
Muthaiga is located approximately , by road, north of the city's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
.
The geographical coordinates of Muthaiga are:01°14'57.0"S, 36°49'54.0"E (Latitude:-1.249167; Longitude:36.831667).
Overview
The neighbourhood is predominantly residential, with resort-style mansions, sitting on parcels of real estate measuring one acre or larger. The plots and homes are large and are developed according to strict neighbourhood guidelines established by the first
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
settlers in 1901. Security is maintained by the Kenya Police and a number of private security firms. Land alone, depending on location and terrain costs anywhere from KSh150 million to KSh200 million (US$1.5 million to $2 million) per acre, as of October 2019.
History
In 1901,
John Dawson Ainsworth, the first sub-commissioner in charge, followed the railway to establish a new town at ''Mile 327'', the name adopted by railway engineers for Nairobi.
Ainsworth, began to entice settlers to come to Nairobi. One of the earliest settlers who was lured by Ainsworth was ''Sandbach Baker''. Baker, with his wife, ''Marie ‘Queenie’ Vera'' established ''Homestead Farm'' on the over that he was granted by Ainsworth. The farm supplied dairy to Nairobi.
In 1903, Marie Vera Baker, who was in charge of Homestead Farm, leased to other settlers, the first of whom was ''James Archibald Morrison''. In 1912, due to Sandbach’s failing health, the Bakers sold Morrison the whole of Muthaiga. At that time it measured . It fetched £20 an acre then. The Bakers returned to England. Morrison then began to subdivide the land into 10 acre and 50 acre lots, put in roads and piped water. He was a pioneer real estate developer.
The 1,600 acres that the Bakers were deeded in 1901 were part of the
Karura Forest
Karura Forest is an urban forest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The forest was gazetted in 1932UNEPKenya, Atlas of our changing environment – Chapter 5Page 158 and is managed by the Kenya Forest ServiceKenya Forest ServiceSecuring Ka ...
, an important cultural forest for the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
. The land was given to the Bakers, on condition that they supply dairy to Nairobi.
One of the modern amenities established by Morrison, the first real estate developer, is
Muthaiga Country Club
The Muthaiga Country Club is a club in Nairobi, Kenya. It is located in the suburb of Muthaiga, about 15 minutes drive from the city centre.
The Muthaiga Country Club opened on New Year's Eve in 1913, and became a gathering place for the coloni ...
, opened in 1914, which still exists today.
The name ''Muthaiga'' was coined by Ward, one of the co-owners of ''Henderson and Ward Architects'', the group who designed the neighbourhood plan in 1912. The plot that the architect bought had an African greenheart tree, whose bark was used as medicine by the Kikuyu, so he named the neighbourhood after that tree.
The house previously owned by the Bakers is now ''Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital''.
Notable residents
Several prominent individuals have their residence in Muthaiga including businessman
Jimmy Wanjigi
Jimi Richard Wanjigi (born in 1962) is a Kenyan businessman and political strategist.
He is the chief executive officer of Kwacha Group of Companies, a privately held family office with interests in various sectors of the Kenyan economy includin ...
,
third President of Kenya
Mwai Kibaki
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers.
He had previously ser ...
,
Ngina Kenyatta
Ngina Kenyatta (née Muhoho; born 24 June 1933), popularly known as "Mama Ngina", is the former First Lady of Kenya. She is the widow of the Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta (~1889–1978), and mother of the fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta ...
, wife of the first president of Kenya,
and Kenyan businessman
Manu Chandaria
Manilal Premchand Chandaria OBE CBS EBS (born 1 March 1929) is a Kenyan businessman of Indian descent who was born in Nairobi. He is a senior member of the Comcraft Group of Companies, a billion dollar enterprise that has a presence in over 40 ...
.
References
External links
Muthaiga is Nairobi’s Most-Affluent Neighborhood, Offering Privacy and Lush LandscapesAs of 5 October 2019.
{{Nairobi
Populated places in Kenya
Nairobi