The following is a

timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events 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 representi ...

of the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

of 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 ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

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 the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

-Nairobi) begins operating;

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

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 an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Britai ...

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 the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

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

East African Standard ''The Standard'' is one of the largest newspapers in Kenya with a 48% market share. It is the oldest newspaper in the country and is owned by The Standard Group, which also runs the Kenya Television Network (KTN), Radio Maisha, ''The Nairobian' ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sports a ...

headquartered in Nairobi. ** Museum of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society established. * 1912 - Theatre Royal opens. * 1913 -

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 ...

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 Kitengel ...

established. * 1947 -

Kenya National Archives Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services (KNADS) is situated at the edge of the central business district in downtown Nairobi along Moi Avenue next to Ambassadeur Hotel. The archives look out on the landmark Hilton Hotel, while on the r ...

headquartered in city. * 1948 **

East African Literature Bureau The Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) is a publishing house and state corporation in Kenya founded in 1947. It is located in South-C off Popo Road in Nairobi. History The Kenya Literature Bureau was initially established by the "East Africa governme ...

founded. ** Population: 118,976 (urban agglomeration). * 1949 - American Center Library established. * 1950 - Nairobi became a city * 1951 - Railway rerouted via

Kibera Kibera (Kinubi: ''Forest'' or ''Jungle'') is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa.http://www.dominionpa ...

* 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 Inf ...

constructed. * 1954 ** Legislative Council (Legco) Building opened **

Ngong Racecourse Ngong Racecourse is a racecourse in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the main and currently only thoroughbred racing venue in Kenya. It is located along the Ngong Road near the Lenana School and next to The Nairobi Business Park, beside ngong forest. It is ...

opens. ** European Hospital opens. * 1955 **

Israel Somen Israel Somen (1903 – 9 October 1984), also known as Issy Somen, was a Jewish Kenyan politician businessman and diplomat. He was a one time Mayor of Nairobi and later Israel's Honorary Consul to Kenya. Biography Somen's family emigrated to Kenya ...

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, and is the predecessor institution of the University of Strathclyde. Its main building on George Street now serve ...

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 Wilson Airport is an airport in Nairobi, Kenya. It has flights to many regional airports in Kenya while Nairobi's main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, serves domestic and many international destinations. Location Wilson Airport ...

* 1963 ** City becomes capital of

Republic of Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. **

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 United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON, sw, Ofisi ya Umoja wa Mataifa Nairobi) 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, ...

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

Kenya Open The Kenya Open, 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 it became a ...

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 Commissio ...

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

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

and

Nairobi Japanese School The is a Japanese school located in the Lang'ata area of Nairobi, Kenya, in proximity to Karen. The school serves Japanese expatriate students. History The school was founded on 9 May 1970 ( Shōwa 45), with its first campus in Hurlingham. The ...

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 The Nairobi Railway Museum is a railway museum in Nairobi, Kenya, adjacent to Nairobi railway station. Containing exhibits from the defunct East African Railways, it was opened in 1971 by East African Railways and Harbours Corporation. It is oper ...

opens. * 1973 **

Kenyatta International Conference Centre The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), formerly the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, is a 28-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 Uchumi Supermarkets, often referred to simply as Uchumi, is a Kenyan supermarket chain. The word means "economy" in Swahili. Overview Uchumi is headquartered in Kenya. , Uchumi is one of a number of Kenyan supermarket chains that serve Kenya, ...

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, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...

conference. * 1978 - Mazingira Institute founded.

1980s-1990s

* 1980 - Nairobi Records Centre of the

established. * 1981 ** City hall building expanded. ** ICEA Building and Cooperative Bank House built. * 1983 **

Sarit Centre This is a list of shopping malls in Kenya. Nairobi Metropolitan Region Nairobi Metropolitan region comprises Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and parts of Murang'a County. Nairobi City County * Mountain View Mall - Waiyaki Way *The Waterfront ...

shopping mall opens. **

Nyayo National Stadium Nyayo National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. It is located at the square of Mombasa Road, Langata Road and the Aerodrome Road. It is approximately two kilometers from the City Center, directly opposite Nairobi Mega Mall, ...

and

Nyayo House Nyayo House is a skyscraper in Nairobi, Kenya. It hosts several government departments such as immigration (the State Department for Immigration, Border Control, and Regulation of Persons) and also serves as the headquarters of Nairobi Province. ...

built. ** Phoenix Players theatre troupe active. * 1985 **

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

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) 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 seat arena with a running track and a pitch u ...

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 (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (AN ...

. * 1989 - Kenya College of Accountancy founded. * 1990 **

Kenya Television Network Kenya Television Network (KTN) is a Kenyan free-to-air television network that was launched in March 1990 by Jared Kangwana. It is headquartered at Standard Group Centre, Nairobi. It was the first free-to-air privately owned 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 The Village Market is a large shopping, recreation and entertainment complex in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. It accommodates over 150 stores outlets covering of retail space, square feet of office space, in addition to recreation and enter ...

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 Java House (formerly Nairobi Java House) is a chain of coffee houses with its head office at ABC Place in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 1999 by Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner. It is one of the few places where one can find "export-quality" Kenyan coffee ...

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 Kiriri Women's University of Science and Technology, often referred to as KWUST, is a non-state funded secular women's university in Nairobi, Kenya. It was started in 2002 Its aim is to empower women in sciences. Kiriri Women's University is the ...

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 The Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance usually held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race. It was p ...

begins. ** Dorman's Coffee opens. ** ''

Kwani? ''Kwani?'' ( Sheng for ''so what?'') is a leading African literary magazine based in Kenya that has been called "undoubtedly the most influential journal to have emerged from sub-Saharan Africa". The magazine grew out of a series of conversatio ...

'' 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 division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

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

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

office in business. **

Nairobi National Museum The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a state corporation that manages museums, sites and monuments in Kenya. It carries out heritage research, and has expertise in subjects ranging from palaeontology, archeology, ethnography and biodiversity ...

building expanded. * 2009 - Population: 3,138,369.

2010s

* 2010 ** Mayor

Geoffrey Majiwa Geoffrey Majiwa is a former mayor of Nairobi. He represents the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). He is also the Baba Dogo ward Civic Councillor. On August 3, 2009 he retained his mayoral seat beating Mutunga Mutungi of the Party of National Un ...

resigns. ** City hosts

African Championships in Athletics The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), the continental association for the sport in Africa. Since its inaugural edition in 1979 it was at first organised ...

. **

IHub iHub is an Innovation hub and hacker space for the technology community in Nairobi. It was started in March 2010 by Erik Hersman, a blogger, TED fellow, and entrepreneur and acquired by Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) in 2019. This coworking space, i ...

opens. ** June: Blast occurs during protest in

Uhuru Park Uhuru Park is a 12.9 hectare recreational park adjacent to the central business district of Nairobi, Kenya. It was opened to the general public by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 23 May 1969. It contains an artificial lake, several national monume ...

. ** 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 ( cy, Gŵyl Y Gelli), 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, t ...

of literature held. ** George Aladwa elected mayor. * 2012 ** Nairobi-

Syokimau Syokimau is a residential area in the west of Machakos County, Kenya, just south of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The place is named after the legendary Akamba medicine woman Prophetess Syokimau. Syokimau Prophesied the comin ...

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 inter ...

relationship established with

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, US. * 2013 **

Nairobi County Nairobi City County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. With a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census, it is the third smallest yet the most populous of the counties, also serving as the capital of Kenya. In 2013, the county entity was eff ...

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

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

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 repre ...

. ** 7 August: Nairobi airport fire. ** September:

2013 Women's African Volleyball Championship The 2013 Women's African Nations Championship was the 16th edition of the Women's African Volleyball Championship organised by Africa's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Africaine de Volleyball. It was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14 ...

held. ** 21–24 September:

Westgate shopping mall attack On 21 September 2013, four masked gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall, an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya. There are conflicting reports about the number killed in the attack, since part of the mall collapsed due to a fire that starte ...

. ** 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 The Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway is a standard-gauge railway (SGR) in Kenya that connects the large Indian Ocean city of Mombasa with Nairobi, the country's capital and largest city. This SGR runs parallel to the narrow-gauge Uganda R ...

, 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 Total African Nations Championship (also referred to as CHAN 2018) was the 5th edition of the African Nations Championship, a biennial football tournament organized by the Confederation of Afric ...

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 research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

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 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 ...

Years in Kenya