Ruaraka is an industrial and residential suburb 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 ...

. Located within the larger sub-county of Kasarani, it is approximately northeast of Nairobi'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 ...

off

Thika Road Thika Thika (pronounced �θika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...

The newly constructed Outer Ring Road, Nairobi, Kenya

Location

Ruaraka is located approximately northeast of Nairobi's

, within the sub-county of Kasarani. It is straddled by the Outer Ring and the Baba Dogo Roads and east of

Overview

Ruaraka came to being in 1922 when two Welsh brothers Charles and George Hurst, and a friend H. A. Dowding, gained interest in an inhabitated area along a river known as ''Rui-Rwa-Aka'', that reserved 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 Centr ...

girls during circumcision. Along the banks of the river, the brothers picked an expansive land to set up the very first

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

in British East Africa known as Kenya Breweries. The brewery fate later became uncertain when one of the proprietors was George Hurst was killed by an elephant. To honour his memory, his brother named the new beer Tusker. In 1938, Taylor and Company, owned by entrepreneur William Taylor, was established in the area. Later in 1951, Ind Coope and Allsopp (East Africa) Limited bought a controlling interest that brought forth the launching the Pilsner and Allsopps beer brands in the Kenyan market. Kenya Breweries would later buy Allsopps and Pilsner to form the

East African Breweries Limited East African Breweries Limited, commonly referred to as EABL, is a Kenyan-based holding company that manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages. Overview The group's headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsi ...

(EABL). In 1960, a Danish businessman, Baron U. Akerhielm, established another factory to supply EABL with brewery tanks. Over the years Ruaraka area has seen significant growth in establishment of other industrial plants, making it a major industrial hub in

. Allsops, Baba Dogo and the Tusker Village, neighbourhoods form part of the Ruaraka.

Points of interest

(EABL), in Ruaraka. # Pepsi Cola (EA) Limited, in Ruaraka.

References

{{Nairobi, state=collapsed Suburbs of Nairobi