Nairobi the capital city of Kenya is situated in the southern part of the country at an altitude of 1,660 metres above sea level. It is considered one of the most prominent cities in Africa, housing many multinational companies and organizations, including many UN bodies. Today, Nairobi is a cosmopolitan city attracting different ethnicities and nationalities, and has a population currently estimated at 4 million.
The construction of the Mombasa to Kisumu railway played an important part in the development of Nairobi and is an indispensable element of its life and economy. It is widely considered to be the beginning of the development of Nairobi as it is known today. The railway line reached the site where Nairobi now lies on 30th May 1899, when the city was just bare open plain roamed by grazing wild game.
There were no inhabitants, except the nomadic Maasai community. The Masai called this place “Enkare Nyirobi,”meaning the place of cool waters; the name has since changed to Nairobi.